Nearly 890 individuals were detained during a demonstration at Parliament Square in solidarity with the prohibited organization Palestine Action. The event, called the “Lift the Ban on Palestine Action protest,” drew approximately 1,500 participants outside Parliament. The Metropolitan Police disclosed that 857 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act for endorsing a banned entity, while 33 others were detained for various offenses, including 17 for assaulting police officers.
The police reported that the arrested individuals were processed at a reception center in Westminster. Those whose identities were verified were released on bail for future police station appearances. However, individuals who declined to provide their details or were found to be on bail were taken to custody suites. The 857 individuals detained under the Terrorism Act will be probed by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart, who oversaw the policing operation, highlighted the orchestrated violence by a masked group aiming to incite disorder. She emphasized the importance of peaceful protest, contrasting the banned group’s demonstration with a peaceful Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 individuals on the same day.
Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organization in July following its claim of damaging two Voyager planes at RAF Brize Norton. The Home Office plans to challenge a High Court decision allowing Palestine Action’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, to challenge the ban. Ammori had contested the group’s proscription, which criminalized support or membership in the group under anti-terror laws.