On Saturday night, the Metropolitan police announced: “Parliament Square and Whitehall are clear. As of 9pm, 466 people had been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action.
“There were a further eight arrests for other offences including five assaults on officers.”
The Met added that the total of 474 was the most arrests it had made related to a single operation in at least the past decade.
Before the planned event in the capital, the Met said it had drawn officers from other forces to help form a “significant policing presence”. It was anticipated the event would result in large numbers of people being detained.
By Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people had gathered in Parliament Square for a demonstration organised by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, who announced “approximately 1,000 sign-holders” had turned up.
The Met added it estimated 500-600 people were in Parliament Square when the demonstration began, but “many” were not partaking.
On Saturday evening, the home secretary thanked officers and reaffirmed the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action.
“Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear – this is not a nonviolent organisation. UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority,” Yvette Cooper stated.
The demonstration began at 1pm but officers made a small number of arrests beforehand. Soon after, officers began arresting people outside the green holding signs that referenced Palestine Action.
From 1pm to 2pm, demonstrators holding signs that read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” were silent.
Some of those arrested were publicly processed on the street outside Scotland Yard, near the main demonstration, where crowds gathered and shouted “‘shame on you” at officers.
Amnesty International called the mass arrests “deeply concerning”.
“The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists,” stated Sacha Deshmukh, the organisation’s chief executive.
“We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified.”
Before the protest, a Home Office spokesperson said: “The home secretary has been clear that the proscription of Palestine Action is not about Palestine, nor does it affect the freedom to protest on Palestinian rights.
“It only applies to the specific and narrow organisation whose activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across the country who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to protest on different issues. Freedom to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and we protect it fiercely,” the spokesperson added.
The first three people to be charged with supporting the group in England and Wales were named on Thursday.
Palestine Action was banned in June, days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint. The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.
