Seventy-seven people were arrested outside Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday during a protest in support of Palestine Action. The Metropolitan Police said the majority were detained for expressing support for a proscribed organisation, while four were arrested for encouraging or assisting a criminal offence.
Protester gathering and police warnings
Hundreds had gathered outside the central London court, where proceedings were scheduled for people previously arrested for backing the group. The Met had warned that showing support for Palestine Action — whose proscription was upheld by the Court of Appeal in June — would lead to arrest under the Terrorism Act.
Among those arrested was Sir Jonathan Porritt, a campaigner, author and former director of Friends of the Earth who advised King Charles III for over 30 years. The group Defend Our Juries confirmed his arrest.
Co-founder can challenge ban
Court records showed on Wednesday that Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori can challenge the Home Office decision to ban the group. The Court of Appeal had ruled in June that the government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation was lawful, overturning an earlier High Court decision that the ban breached the right to protest.
Defend Our Juries statement
Defend Our Juries said the protest was part of a “Graduation Day” coinciding with a review hearing for the prosecution of 1,579 people under the Terrorism Act for holding signs in support of Palestine Action. The group said people took to a stage one by one to say: “I support Palestine Action and I encourage everyone to do the same. Saving lives is not terrorism.”
The relevant court hearings at Westminster Magistrates Court had been adjourned, according to the Met, but the protest went ahead.
Police and group responses
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine said: “The law is clear. Expressing support for proscribed organisations is a criminal offence and anyone doing so can expect to be arrested.” A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said the arrests were “an assault on our democracy, our civil liberties and our moral obligation to step in to prevent genocide” and urged the new prime minister to stop what they called an “insanity” of taxpayer money being used for arrests and prosecutions the public do not support.
