Before the start of the first stage of the 2024 Tour of Britain, about 30 people demonstrated in the Scottish Borders town of Kelso, targeting the Israeli Premier Tech team participating in the race.

More demonstrations are expected later in the Tour of Britain, particularly during Thursday's third stage, which starts in Sheffield.

In Kelso, double Olympic champion Lemko Evenpole (Soudal-QuickStep) and local rider Oscar Only (dsm-Firmenich-PostNL) were cheered on, but the two Australian and four British The demonstrators whistled and chanted as the Israeli Premier Tech Team, made up of two Australians and four Brits, took the stage.

It has been almost a year since Hamas, registered as a terrorist organization in the UK, killed over 1,000 people and took 251 hostages in an attack in Israel. The conflict has continued ever since, and the resulting scale of Israel's military operation in Gaza has drawn international condemnation.

Protesters gathered in front of the team presentation stage, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards. They are part of several pro-Palestinian activist groups, including the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Edinburgh Gaza Emergency Committee, which regularly demonstrate at sporting and other high-profile events. [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]