Supporters of the banned group Palestine Action will “feel the full force of the law”, a justice minister said, as police work to secure charges following hundreds of arrests at a demonstration in London over the weekend.
The protest was held at Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would detain anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
The force confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of the total 532 arrests made during the policing operation.
Over the coming weeks, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together case files and secure charges against those arrested, the force added.
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Breakfast on Monday: “I want to thank the police for their bravery and their courage in carrying out their diligent duties in the line of public protection, and I want to state that the right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy, and of course, we respect that.
“But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful.
“They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft.
“We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom, and there are other reasons, which we can’t disclose because of national security.
“But they are a prescribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law.”
The Met said they were aware of online photos and footage suggesting some people returned to Parliament Square after being released on bail, adding it would be “entirely unrealistic” for officers to recognise these individuals.
One of the bail conditions was not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action, police said.
“Given the numbers of people arrested (on Saturday) it would have been entirely unrealistic for officers to recognise individuals who returned to the area,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.
“Their focus was rightly on those continuing to commit offences who were still to be arrested.
“We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square re-joined the protesters who were holding placards.”
Securing a charge for an offence under the Terrorism Act will, in some instances, require approval by both the Crown Prosecution Service and Attorney General Lord Hermer, police said.
The majority of those arrested, 348, were aged 50 or over, according to a breakdown published by the Met on Sunday.
Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area.
Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date.
There were a further 10 arrests, six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, and one for a racially aggravated public order offence, the force said.
Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences against Section 13 of the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action.
The three people charged were arrested at a protest in Parliament Square on July 5.
“A further 26 case files relating to arrests on the same day are due to be submitted to the CPS imminently, with more to follow in relation to later protests,” a spokesperson for the Met added.
