Protesters sit with placards supporting Palestine Action at a "Lift The Ban" demonstration calling an end to Israel's war on Gaza and for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Parliament Square, central London. AFP
The Metropolitan Police said the arrests came during the largest protest in the UK capital since last month’s ban on the pro-Palestinian group, while organisers said only a “fraction” of attendees were detained.
“That claim simply isn't true,” the Met said, adding that some present were onlookers or not visibly supporting Palestine Action.
“We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested.”
“We have now made 200 arrests in Parliament Square this afternoon,” the force wrote in a post on X.
Protesters carried signs reading “oppose genocide, support Palestine Action” and other slogans, applauding those being detained and shouting “shame on you” at officers.
“Let them arrest us all,” said Richard Bull, 42, a wheelchair user. “This government has gone too far. I have nothing to feel ashamed of.”
Palestine Action has organised hundreds of protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, described as a genocide by experts and international organisations, and has carried out direct action targeting weapons companies supplying Israel.
The protest was organised by Defend Our Juries, which opposes the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror laws. The group described the event as part of its “lift the ban” campaign and accused police of interfering in its organising efforts, including the closure of its website by a hosting company earlier this week.
The Met and other UK forces have made scores of similar arrests since the government outlawed Palestine Action on 5 July. Under UK anti-terror laws, anyone expressing support for a proscribed group risks arrest.
Police this week announced the first charges under the legislation, with three people accused of supporting Palestine Action following arrests at the 5 July demonstration.
The government banned the group days after several of its activists broke into an air force base in southern England, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.
UN rights chief Volker Türk has condemned Britain’s ban as a “disturbing” misuse of counter-terrorism legislation and urged the government to rescind the decision.
“The decision appears disproportionate and unnecessary,” Türk said in a statement, warning it “also conflates protected expression and other conduct with acts of terrorism” and could have a “further chilling effect” on expressions of free speech.
Other critics, including Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have also opposed the ban on similar grounds.
In a letter to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, urged officers to “exercise restraint” when policing people with placards expressing support for Palestine Action. The organisation says such arrests breach international human rights law.
A legal challenge to the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action is due to be heard later this year.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
Short link: