London Police Arrest 325 at Palestine Action Protest

British police have arrested 325 people at a Palestine Action protest in London, the Metropolitan Police said on Sunday (Nov 1), a day after the demonstration outside the United States Embassy.

The protest on Saturday (Oct 31) was held in support of Palestine Action, a group the British government has outlawed under anti-terror legislation.

Arrests at Palestine Action protest

“In total, 325 people were arrested yesterday,” the Metropolitan Police said in an update on Sunday, as quoted by AFP.

Police said 320 of those arrests were for expressing support for a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act.

According to agency reports, most of those detained were holding signs or banners stating opposition to genocide and support for Palestine Action. The demonstrators staged what was described as a “mass action” outside the US Embassy, and the protest was organised by the campaign group Defend Our Juries.

AFP reported that the ban makes membership of, or support for, Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The United States designated the group as “terrorist” in August, the agency added.

Citing police figures, agency reports said there had been 3,867 terrorism-linked arrests so far this year, 94 per cent of them related to support for Palestine Action. In the 12 months before the ban, 234 terrorism arrests were recorded.

Smaller rally in Edinburgh

A smaller group of protesters also gathered outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday. No arrests were made there at the time, AFP reported.

Police Scotland said in a statement on Sunday that inquiries were continuing to identify people seen wearing T-shirts and holding banners showing support for a proscribed organisation. It added that evidence was being reviewed and that further action would be taken where appropriate.

Supreme Court challenge to the ban

The protest came ahead of a legal challenge to the ban at the UK Supreme Court, which AFP said would hold a two-day hearing starting on Wednesday (Nov 4).

According to agency reports, the High Court of England and Wales in February struck down the government’s decision as “disproportionate”. In June, the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling and upheld the ban.

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