The London Pride parade was interrupted for about an hour on Saturday after demonstrators from the pro-Palestinian group Youth Demand splashed red paint over a Cisco Systems float and glued themselves to the vehicle near Piccadilly. Metropolitan Police officers removed the activists and arrested five people, allowing the march to resume shortly afterwards under a heightened security presence. Youth Demand said the action targeted what it called the “pink-washing” of companies that supply Israel’s military. The group accused the U.S. technology firm of providing communications equipment used in Israel’s offensive in Gaza and demanded a total trade embargo on Israel. The protest came a day after the UK government formally proscribed direct-action network Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act, a decision campaigners say is aimed at stifling opposition to the war. The parade also faced a separate boycott by several Jewish organisations that criticised Pride organisers for rejecting offers of free anti-Semitism training for stewards.