LONDON: Police in London said they arrested more than 500 people during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in support of the banned activist group Palestine Action on Saturday.
According to the Metropolitan Police Service, a total of 523 protesters aged between 18 and 87 were detained during the sit-down protest at Trafalgar Square. Officers were seen carrying away demonstrators as other participants applauded and cheered.
Police said the arrests were made after protesters displayed placards supporting Palestine Action, which has been designated a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom. Under the ban introduced in July, membership of or support for the group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The designation has been challenged in court. In February, the High Court of England and Wales ruled that the ban interfered with freedom of speech, although the government has since been granted permission to appeal the decision.
Following the ruling, police temporarily halted arrests related to the ban but resumed enforcement in late March.
Some protesters said they were determined to continue demonstrating despite the legal risks. Freya, a 28-year-old environmental organisation manager who took part in the protest, said it was important to keep speaking out against what she described as genocide in Gaza.
Nearly 3,000 people have been arrested since Palestine Action was banned, mostly for displaying signs or publicly expressing support for the group. Hundreds of those detained are currently facing charges.
Another protester, 73-year-old Denis MacDermot from Edinburgh, said he had been arrested previously but returned to demonstrate again in support of the activists.
The rally was organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries, which said participants were protesting both the UK government’s stance on the war in the Gaza Strip and what it described as a crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International UK criticised the mass arrests, calling them a blow to civil liberties and accusing authorities of targeting peaceful protesters.
The ban on Palestine Action placed the group on the UK’s list of proscribed organisations alongside groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, triggering strong backlash from activists.
A judge has temporarily suspended trials for individuals charged with supporting the group, with a blanket review of related cases scheduled for July 30.
Founded in 2020, Palestine Action has focused its campaigns on companies linked to the Israeli defence sector, particularly the arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.