London Sees Mass Arrests as 474 Detained in Protest Against Palestine Action Ban

Report by “Safarti Tarjuman” International News Desk

London – UK police arrested 474 people in central London on Saturday. The protest, organized by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, drew hundreds to Parliament Square in a defiant show of opposition to the controversial ban.

The Metropolitan Police deployed officers from across the country to form what they described as a “significant policing presence” ahead of the event. The demonstration, beginning at 1 p.m., saw protesters holding placards reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” in a silent, hour-long vigil before arrests began.

By 9 p.m., police confirmed that 466 individuals were detained for showing support for Palestine Action, with an additional eight arrested for offenses such as assaulting officers. Many of those taken into custody were released on street bail later that evening.

Witnesses described the atmosphere as peaceful, with demonstrators clapping for those arrested and chanting against what they viewed as a government crackdown on civil liberties. Several elderly participants, including individuals in their 70s, were detained mid-interview by reporters.

Suzan Broom, an attendee too fearful to join the sign-holders, described the scene as “sedate, peaceful and moving,” while another protester, identified only as Zoe, wore a patch reading “Jews Against Genocide” and condemned the arrests as “absurd.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the ban on Palestine Action, asserting it is “not a nonviolent organization” and stressing that “UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority.”

The Home Office clarified that the proscription does not affect the right to protest for Palestinian rights in general, but specifically targets the named group, whose actions—such as vandalizing RAF aircraft—were deemed criminal.

Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, slammed the arrests as “deeply concerning” and a disproportionate application of counter-terrorism laws. Chief executive Sacha Deshmukh warned that the broad wording of the UK’s terrorism legislation poses a “serious threat to freedom of expression.”

Palestine Action was officially banned in June under the Terrorism Act 2000, making membership or support punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The move came days after the group broke into RAF Brize Norton, spray-painting military aircraft in protest against UK arms sales to Israel.

Three individuals—Jeremy Shippam (71), Judit Murray (71), and Fiona Maclean (53)—are already facing charges for allegedly supporting the group at a previous protest.

The mass arrests come amid heightened tensions over Israel’s war in Gaza, with the UK government announcing £8.5 million in additional aid to the Palestinian enclave via a UN agency. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently criticized Israel’s settlement expansion plans as “wrong” and warned they would “only bring more bloodshed.”

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