Hundreds Arrested in London After Defying Ban on Pro-Palestine Group

London police confirmed the arrest of 365 individuals in central London on Saturday after supporters of the recently banned pro-Palestinian group, Palestine Action, intentionally defied the law. The mass arrests occurred during a demonstration aimed at pressuring the government to reconsider its ban on the organization.

Parliament enacted legislation earlier in July, outlawing Palestine Action and criminalizing public support for the group. This move followed an incident where activists reportedly broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker planes, protesting Britain’s support for Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the ban, over 500 protesters gathered outside the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, August 9, many openly displaying signs such as “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,” daring police to intervene. An elderly activist was among those arrested in Parliament Square as police moved to enforce the new law.

As the demonstration concluded, a dispute arose between police and protest organizers regarding the precise number of arrests. Defend Our Juries, the protest’s organizer, claimed police managed to arrest only a fraction of those supposedly committing offenses, with many granted street bail. London’s Metropolitan Police Service countered this, stating they were confident that anyone displaying support for Palestine Action was arrested or in the process of being arrested, clarifying that many onlookers were present but not targeted.

Police had anticipated the unique nature of the protest, noting on Friday that participants intended to be arrested in large numbers to strain the criminal justice system. Supporters of Palestine Action continue to challenge the ban in court, arguing it infringes upon freedom of expression by labeling the organization as terrorist.

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