The Metropolitan Police stated that most of those arrested face charges related to supporting an organization banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act, while more than 25 people were arrested for assaulting security personnel and committing other offenses.
Protesters gathered in Parliament Square in response to a call from the Defend Our Juries group, which opposes the ban on Palestine Action, before police intervened to disperse them and arrest several of them on charges of supporting a banned group.
Palestine Action was founded in 2020 and rose to prominence through campaigns targeting companies linked to Israel, most notably disrupting drone production at an Elbit Systems factory in Bristol. On August 9, London police arrested more than 500 people in a similar protest.
Palestine Action's designation as a terrorist organization dates back to the June storming of Brize Norton Air Force Base, where supporters of the group sprayed red paint on the engines of two military aircraft and raised Palestinian flags.
Subsequently, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper submitted a bill to Parliament, which was approved by the House of Commons and the House of Lords in early July. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rejected a request to halt the implementation of the decision.
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The ban came into effect on July 5, making membership in or support for the group a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and wearing or displaying its symbols punishable by up to six months in prison.
Coinciding with the London protests, several European capitals and cities witnessed widespread demonstrations in support of Palestine and condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza. In Ireland, marches took place in Dublin and other cities, while Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, and Istanbul witnessed events attended by thousands of demonstrators, demanding an end to the war on Gaza, the imposition of sanctions on Israel, and the lifting of the blockade on the Strip.
On Saturday, the Italian capital, Rome, witnessed a demonstration in support of the Global Steadfastness Flotilla, which set sail from Spain last Sunday to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and the Palestinians.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 64,368 Palestinians dead, 162,367 injured, most of them children and women, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 382 Palestinians, including 135 children.
