Organisers of a mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action have said Saturday's demonstration could set a record for the number of people arrested at a single civil disobedience event. Defend Our Juries reported receiving 1,500 pledges to attend and risk arrest, with hundreds more expected to register by the weekend.
The current record for arrests at one event is 1,314, set by the Metropolitan Police during the Committee of 100's 1961 anti-nuclear demonstration in Trafalgar Square. Since the ban under the Terrorism Act came into effect on 5 July, more than 1,600 people have been arrested, mainly for holding signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' The highest tally so far was 890 detentions on 6 September in Parliament Square.
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said: 'With over 1,500 people already pledging to take part, this is set to be the biggest mass action yet defying the ban on Palestine Action.' They added that Saturday could see arrests nearly double, potentially setting a new record for the largest mass arrest, which they described as an 'extraordinary misuse of counter-terror and policing resources.'
The ban, announced by then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in June, came three days after Palestine Action claimed responsibility for a break-in at RAF Brize Norton. It is the first proscription of a direct action protest group, placing it alongside groups like Islamic State. The group's co-founder, Huda Ammori, is challenging the ban in court.
The spokesperson criticised the government, saying: 'It's nothing short of a scandal that thousands of people are being arrested... as our fundamental rights to free speech and protest have been stripped away, not to keep us safe, but to protect weapons manufacturers' interests.' They urged the new home secretary to rethink the ban, calling it a 'poll tax moment' for the Labour government.
The Home Office has previously denied that any private company influenced the decision, despite a meeting between then-policing minister Diana Johnson and Allianz UK, which had been targeted by Palestine Action for allegedly insuring Elbit Systems UK.
