Almost 900 people were arrested at a major demonstration in London’s Parliament Square on Saturday as hundreds defied the controversial decision to ban Palestine Action.
The Metropolitan Police said the majority of the 890 arrests were made under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act for supporting the direct action group, which was designated as a proscribed terrorist organisation in July.
A total of 519 people were taken into custody, while 341 people were arrested and processed at a reception point in Westminster and then released on bail.
Hundreds of peaceful protesters were hauled away by officers to chants of “Shame on you” after they wrote signs declaring “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” in a display of mass defiance at 1pm.
A further 33 people were arrested for other offences, including 17 for alleged assaults on police officers, after pockets of the demonstration descended into chaos.
The Met has condemned violence it says was directed at officers from a group which was masked and “intent on creating as much disorder as possible”.
But organisers, campaign group Defend Our Juries (DOJ), insisted the rally was “the picture of peaceful protest” and called on new home secretary Shabana Mahmood to drop the “unenforceable” ban.
A DOJ spokesperson said allegations of violence towards police were “false claims smearing the protesters” and noted it took officers 11 hours to arrest 857 out of an estimated 1,500 people who took part.
“Rather than arrest thousands more ordinary citizens, from vicars and priests, war veterans and descendants of Holocaust survivors to retired teachers and healthcare workers, who are predominantly elderly and many disabled, the new home secretary must rethink what is becoming Labour’s poll tax moment, which is making the UK the subject of condemnation and ridicule around the world,” they added.
Police were seen brandishing their batons during clashes with some demonstrators, and one protester was seen with blood streaming down his face as he sat on the floor handcuffed.
However, Parliament Square Garden remained largely peaceful as many sat holding placards as police hauled them away one by one.
The arrests were met with chants from protesters of: “Met Police, you can’t hide – you’re supporting genocide.”
Protester Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, joined the protest after making headlines last month as one of 522 people arrested at a previous demonstration.
He said: “What choice do I have? Nothing is being done about the genocide other than by us. And I’m a terrorist? That’s the joke of it.”
All 857 individuals arrested for Terrorism Act offences will now be investigated by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, the force said.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart added: “The violence we encountered during the operation was coordinated and carried out by a group of people, many wearing masks to conceal their identity, intent on creating as much disorder as possible. Many of those individuals have now been arrested, and we have begun securing charges.
“The contrast between this demonstration and the other protests we policed yesterday, including the Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 people, was stark.
“You can express your support for a cause without committing an offence under the Terrorism Act or descending into violence and disorder, and many thousands of people do that in London every week.
“We have a duty to enforce the law without fear or favour. If you advertise that you are intending to commit a crime, we have no option but to respond accordingly.”
Kerry Moscogiuri, of human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK, said it was “shocking” to see people hauled from the street for holding up signs.
“When the government is arresting people under terrorism laws for sitting peacefully in protest, something is going very wrong here in the UK,” she added.
However, defence secretary John Healey has said Ms Mahmood will be “just as tough” on Palestine Action as her Home Office predecessor, Yvette Cooper, who moved to the Foreign Office as part of Sir Keir Starmer’s wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle on Friday.
Asked whether there would be a shift in government policy on the group, Mr Healey said: “I expect Shabana Mahmood to be just as tough as Yvette Cooper and I expect her to defend the decision the government’s taken on Palestine Action, because of what some of its members are responsible for and were planning.”
“If we want to avoid a two-tier policing and justice system in this country, when people break the law, there have to be consequences,” he told Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
Palestine Action was banned in July after the group claimed responsibility for a protest in which two Voyager planes were sprayed with red paint at RAF Brize Norton in June.
It means showing support for the direct action group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori to proceed with a legal challenge over the ban.
