Police have arrested 466 people in central London on Saturday for protesting the British government’s decision to ban the pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.
“As of 9pm, 466 people had been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action,” the Metropolitan Police wrote on X on Saturday.
Eight arrests were made for other offences, including five for assaults on officers, but police said none were seriously injured.
Palestine Action is a UK-based group which says it aims to disrupt the operations of weapons manufacturers supplying the Israeli government.
Last month, UK lawmakers voted to proscribe the group after two Palestine Action activists broke into Britain’s largest air base in central England in June, damaging two military aircraft.
The group’s ban makes it illegal under UK law to be a member of – or invite support for – Palestine Action and puts them on par with terrorist organizations such as Hamas, al Qaeda and ISIS.
Large crowds turned up for demonstrations organized by Defend Our Juries on Saturday afternoon at London’s Parliament Square. London’s Metropolitan Police had cautioned that it would arrest anyone showing support for the proscribed group.
One 80-year-old protestor from Surrey, England, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN that she attended the protest to show “what a farce” the government’s decision on Palestine Action was.
She said organizers were aiming to have at least 500 people sitting peacefully with signs. “I watched a few being carried off by police but there simply weren’t enough police to arrest all,” she added.
A demonstrator sits on the ground in handcuffs during the protest in London on Saturday. – Alberto Pezzali/AP
People attend a rally challenging the British government’s proscription of the activist group Palestine Action in London on Saturday, – Jaimi Joy/Reuters
The demonstration organizers said on social media that upwards of one thousand people attended the protest, “holding up signs that read ‘I oppose Genocide, I support Palestine Action’” in a mass display of defiance against (British Home Secretary) Yvette Cooper’s ban.”
The Metropolitan Police stated that approximately 500 to 600 people were in attendance when the demonstration began. “Many were onlookers, media, or people not holding placards supporting Palestine Action,” police said in an earlier statement.
“We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested,” Scotland Yard added.
Those arrested at the protest were taken to “prisoner processing points in the Westminster area, and those whose details could be confirmed were bailed, with conditions not to attend any further protest in support of Palestine Action,” police also said.
A CNN team on the ground witnessed scuffles between protestors and police, as demonstrators were arrested and taken away for supporting Palestine Action. Onlookers were heard shouting “shame on you” as police officers removed peaceful protestors from the area.
British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked police for “dealing with the very small number of people whose actions crossed the line into criminality.”
“The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation,” she said, according to the UK’s Press Association.
Amnesty International UK condemned the arrest of peaceful protesters as “a violation of the UK’s international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and assembly,” in a post on X.
Last week, Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori won a bid to challenge the ban, with a London High Court judge granting permission to seek a judicial review.
CNN’s Jonny Hallam and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
