British police arrested more than 200 people in central London on Saturday as supporters of the recently banned pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action deliberately violated the law to challenge the government’s prohibition, according to the Associated Press.
The mass arrests occurred during a demonstration at Parliament Square organized by Defend Our Juries, where protesters openly displayed “Lift The Ban” signs supporting the organization despite knowing it could lead to criminal charges. The Metropolitan Police Service (Met Police) confirmed the arrests while disputing organizers’ claims that enforcement was incomplete.
Newsweek reached out to the Met Police via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
The ban on Palestine Action, enacted in July following vandalism at a Royal Air Force (RAF) base, marks one of the most restrictive measures against Palestinian solidarity groups in recent British history.
The arrests occur as Prime Minister Keir Starmer navigates complex Middle East policy, having angered Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September while simultaneously facing criticism from Palestinian supporters who believe the government isn’t doing enough to end the war in Gaza.
What To Know
Parliament passed legislation in early July designating Palestine Action as a banned organization and criminalizing public support for the group. The ban followed an incident on June 20 when activists broke into RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire, spraying red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and causing additional damage with crowbars as a protest against British military support for Israel.
Saturday’s “Lift The Ban” demonstration saw more than 500 protesters gathering at Parliament Square, with many holding signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” The deliberate flouting of the ban was part of a coordinated strategy to challenge what supporters view as an illegitimate restriction on free speech. Police had anticipated the confrontational nature of the protest, noting Friday that organizers intended to strain law enforcement resources through mass arrests.
The arrests occurred against a backdrop of multiple demonstrations across London, including a separate pro-Palestinian march that ended at 10 Downing Street and planned Sunday protests demanding the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The weekend’s events have required substantial police resources, with authorities also preparing for protests at hotels housing asylum-seekers.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan told the AP the scale of the weekend’s events would “put pressure” on the police department.
“This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence,” Adelekan said prior to the protests.
Palestine Action has previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in the UK that the group claims have connections to the Israeli military. Supporters are currently mounting a legal challenge to the ban, arguing that the government has overreached by classifying the organization as terrorist.
What People Are Saying
Defend Our Juries said in a statement: “The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing ‘terrorism’ offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home. This is a major embarrassment to [the government], further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government’s own crimes.”
The Metropolitan Police Service responded to the group in a 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.”
Defend Our Juries spoke on the ban’s implications in a statement: “Once the meaning of ‘terrorism’ is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead.”
What Happens Next
The arrested protesters face potential criminal charges under the new legislation, though many have already been released on street bail according to organizers.
The legal challenge to Palestine Action’s ban continues through the courts, with supporters arguing the designation as a terrorist organization is unjustified and violates fundamental rights to free expression.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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