Police in London arrested 522 people on Saturday during protests against the UK government’s proscription of the activist group Palestine Action under terrorism legislation.
The Metropolitan Police said all but one arrest took place in Parliament Square, where demonstrators held placards declaring support for the banned organisation. The remaining arrest occurred in Russell Square during a separate march against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Those detained included six teenagers, 97 people in their 70s, and 15 in their 80s. The average age was 54. Eighteen remained in custody on Sunday but were expected to be released on bail. Police confirmed that 30 of those held had been arrested at previous Palestine Action demonstrations.
The ban, in force since 5 July under the Terrorism Act 2000, makes membership or public support for Palestine Action a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. The group has claimed responsibility for direct actions including a break-in at a Royal Air Force base in June that caused an estimated £7m of damage to two aircraft.
The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the proscription was based on security assessments and alleged the group’s activities met the legal definition of terrorism. “UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority,” she said. Critics, including the UN human rights chief and Amnesty International, have called the move an overreach and a threat to civil liberties.
Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director Areeba Hamid said the arrests showed the government had “turned the Met into thought police, direct action into terrorism”.
Among those arrested in recent weeks are retired professionals and clergy. Former magistrate Deborah Hinton, 81, was detained for seven hours last month after holding a sign supporting Palestine Action. She described being “in a state of trauma” but vowed to continue protesting. Reverend Sue Parfitt, 83, and retired headteacher Jon Farley were also detained for similar acts.
Doctors Without Borders volunteer and NHS consultant Alice Clack, previously arrested under the same law, said her grandfather’s experience as a child refugee from Nazi Europe shaped her decision to protest. She described the ban as “a gross abuse of state power”.
Palestine Action is challenging its proscription in the UK courts, with a hearing scheduled for November. Its legal team argues that, if the ban is overturned, those arrested could sue for wrongful detention.
Saturday’s protest in Westminster was organised by Defend Our Juries, which encouraged participants to hold placards reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” and accept arrest as an act of defiance. The Metropolitan Police had warned in advance that anyone showing support for the group would be detained.
Police also arrested six people for assaulting officers during the operation, though no serious injuries were reported.
The protests took place amid continued demonstrations in London over the war in Gaza. On Sunday, campaigners marched to Downing Street calling for the release of Israeli captives held by Hamas since the October 2023 attacks. Organisers described their demand as humanitarian rather than political.
HT
