More than 500 people have been arrested at a demonstration in London opposing the proscription of Palestine Action, the first mass protest since the group's ban was ruled unlawful by the High Court. The Metropolitan Police reported 523 arrests by midnight, with ages ranging from 18 to 87.
Hundreds gathered in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, holding signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Some protesters dressed as suffragettes or wore masks of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Banners displayed messages such as “Jurors deserve to hear the whole truth” and “Israel starves kids”.
Officers began making arrests around 1pm, with several individuals carried away. An elderly woman using walking sticks was escorted from the protest. One woman told officers: “You could be on your way catching real criminals.”
Organisers Defend Our Juries criticised the arrests, stating the government’s ban had been ruled unlawful and that leading lawyers warned any arrests would be unlawful. A spokesperson described the situation as “truly surreal”, adding that an “absurdly authoritarian measure has descended into farce”.
Former Palestine Action-affiliated prisoner Qesser Zuhrah, who was on hunger strike for 48 days, said the “entire world” opposes the ban. She added: “This British government is hellbent on establishing that the ones that create the weapons are not the terrorists but the ones that destroy the weapons are the terrorists.”
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was granted permission to appeal the High Court’s decision. The Met initially said it would stop arresting people for such offences under the Terrorism Act but later revised its approach, describing the earlier statement as an “interim position”.
