Police in London have arrested hundreds of people at a protest in support of the group Palestine Action, which was classified as a âterror organisationâ by the British government last month.
The Metropolitan Police said 365 demonstrators had been arrested at Parliament Square by 6pm local time (17:00 GMT) on Saturday âfor supporting a proscribed organisationâ.
âIt will take time, but we will arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action,â the police force said in an earlier post on X.
The arrests are the latest at a series of protests denouncing the governmentâs ban on Palestine Action, a move critics say infringes on freedom of speech and the right to protest, as well as aims to stifle demonstrations against Israelâs war on the Gaza Strip.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, membership in or support for the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Reporting from Parliament Square on Saturday, Al Jazeeraâs Sonia Gallego said the threat of arrest or punishment âhasnât deterred any supportersâ of Palestine Action from expressing their backing for the group.
âSomething as simple as wearing a t-shirt saying, âI support Palestine Actionâ, or even having that written on a sheet of paperâ could lead to an arrest, Gallego said.
Police officers detain protesters during a rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British governmentâs proscription of âPalestine Actionâ [Jaimi Joy/Reuters]
In advance of Saturdayâs protest, more than 200 people had been detained in a wave of demonstrations across the United Kingdom denouncing the ban since it came into force in July.
More than 350 academics from around the world signed onto an open letter this week applauding a âgrowing campaign of collective defianceâ against the decision by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to proscribe Palestine Action.
The signatories âdeplore the repressive consequences that this ban has already had, and are especially concerned about the likely impact of Cooperâs ban on universities across the UK and beyondâ, the letter read.
Israeli historian and University of Exeter professor Ilan Pappe, Goldsmiths professor Eyal Weizman, and political thinkers Michael Hardt and Jaqueline Rose were among those who signed the letter.
Meanwhile, a separate march organised by the Palestine Coalition group was also held in London on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police said one person had been arrested at that march from Russell Square to Whitehall for displaying a banner in support of Palestine Action.
Amnesty International UK has condemned the arrest of peaceful protesters solely for holding signs, saying such action constitutes âa violation of the UKâs international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assemblyâ.
Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in the UK, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment.
The group accuses the UKâs government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza, where Israelâs bombardment and blockade have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians since October 2023.
The British government issued the ban after Palestine Action broke into a military airbase in June and damaged two Airbus Voyager aircraft, used for air-to-air refuelling.
Manaal Siddiqui, a spokesperson for Palestine Action, told Al Jazeera that the aircraft âcan be used to refuel and have been used to refuel Israeli fighter jetsâ.
According to the group, planes from the Brize Norton base also fly to a British Air Force base in Cyprus to then be dispatched to collect intelligence shared with the Israeli government.
