Police have arrested almost 500 people at a silent vigil in London supporting Palestine Action, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government in July. The Metropolitan Police confirmed 492 arrests, with 488 for supporting a proscribed organisation. The youngest arrested was 18, the oldest 89.
The protest, organised by Defend Our Juries, aimed to be the largest demonstration against the ban. Officers began making arrests shortly after 1pm as protesters sat silently writing signs. Two hours in, organisers counted about 1,000 seated people. As of Saturday night, 297 remained in custody, with the rest bailed.
The chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Paula Dodds, said officers were 'emotionally and physically exhausted' from policing relentless protests, adding that 'enough is enough' and that resources were being diverted from counter-terrorism duties.
The demonstration proceeded despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling for it to be cancelled to 'respect the grief of British Jews' after a terror attack on a Manchester synagogue killed two people. In Manchester, a separate protest by GM Friends of Palestine saw hundreds gather, with campaigner John Nicholson stating the genocide in Gaza had not stopped, so protests would continue.
