Kamal Ghorui
More than 500 people were arrested in London, on Saturday, during a pro-Palestinian demonstration held in support of the banned group Palestine Action, according to police.In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said, “523 people were arrested today for showing support for a proscribed organisation”.Earlier in the day, officers had already detained more than 200 protesters at a sit-down demonstration in Trafalgar Square, organised in support of Palestine Action, which is proscribed in the UK. Police were seen removing activists from the area while other demonstrators clapped and cheered. Participants held placards in support of the group, prompting further arrests.Palestine Action was categorised as a terrorist organisation in July last year, making it a criminal offence to be a member of or to express support for it, with penalties of up to 14 years in prison. In February, the London High Court upheld a legal challenge to the ban, ruling that it interfered with the right to freedom of speech. The government has since been granted permission to appeal against that ruling.Following the High Court decision, the Metropolitan Police temporarily paused arrests, but later confirmed in March that enforcement would resume.Since the group was banned, close to 3,000 arrests have taken place, mostly involving people holding placards in support of Palestine Action, with hundreds now facing charges.One of the protesters, Denis MacDermot, 73, from Edinburgh, said he had previously been arrested but returned without hesitation. “I’m a supporter of these great people,” he said, gesturing towards fellow protesters, adding that if the court process were conclusive “there would be no need for all this”.Organisers Defend Our Juries said that around 500 people took part in Saturday’s protest, which they described as being against “the UK Government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the misguided crackdown on peaceful protest at home”.They also alleged that police were “choosing to make arrests despite the government’s ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the High Court, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful”.The ban placed Palestine Action on a list of proscribed organisations that also includes Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah, and has triggered widespread backlash.A judge has now paused all trials related to individuals charged with supporting Palestine Action, with a full review of cases scheduled for July 30.Founded in 2020, Palestine Action says its aim, according to its now-blocked website, is to end “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.The group has mainly targeted weapons facilities, particularly those linked to Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems.
