POLICE arrested 890 people at what is believed to be the largest ever Palestine Action protest in central London.
A mass demonstration was held in Parliament Square, Westminster on Saturday which organisers said was attended by around 1500 people.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the final arrest total on Sunday, which means that around 60% of those who attended were arrested.
Many protesters held signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
This is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act and carries a maximum tariff of 14 years in prison.
The Metropolitan Police said that 857 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a proscribed group, while 33 people were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers.
Police on Saturday complained of “intolerable” conditions at the protest, claiming that officers had been spat on, kicked and punched. Photographs from the protest appeared to show police officers shoving and grabbing protesters.
Defend Our Juries, which organised the rally, said the event had been “the picture of peaceful protest" and that the Met Police's statement about its officers being abused was an "astonishing claim".
The spokesperson said that they had not seen “any violence or aggression from anyone”, adding: “I've only seen aggression and violence from the police.”
According to Sky News, one man was seen with blood streaming down his face as officers arrested him. Other officers were also seen drawing their batons against protesters.
Kerry Moscogiuri, director of campaigns and communications at Amnesty International, said: “The staggering number of arrests at yesterday’s peaceful protest marks a new low for protest rights in this country. It’s completely ridiculous for police to be targeting and arresting people for sitting down, quietly holding a sign.
“Amnesty International deployed observers to the protest, and police claims that the protest turned violent are a misrepresentation. Our observers witnessed the Defend Our Juries protest being entirely peaceful.
“Some supporters of the protest shouted insults at the police and a small number of them attempted to prevent the police from carrying arrestees away. This did not appear to be a coordinated effort.
“Police officers, on a number of occasions, were aggressive towards supporters of the protest. This included violently shoving people away and pulling out batons to make space whilst protesters were arrested and hauled into police vans.”
Palestine Action were proscribed earlier this year after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and vandalised two planes in protest over the genocide in Gaza.
The unprecedented ban on a direct action group, which puts it in the same category as Isis and Al Qaeda, has triggered waves of protest this year, which have resulted in mass arrests as campaigners attempt to overwhelm the justice system.
A similar protest was held in Edinburgh on Saturday and no arrests were made during its duration from 2.30pm to 3pm. There, as in London, protesters held signs saying: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."
