POLICE have arrested 77 people at a demonstration backing the banned group Palestine Action.
Demonstrators outside Westminster Magistrates Court in central London declared their support for the banned group to get themselves arrested.
The cases of several people arrested for supporting the group were due to be heard in the court on Thursday the hearings were postponed.
A small number of protesters designated themselves as being willing to be arrested and gathered in a central spot outside the court. They would then say that they supported Palestine Action at which point they would be arrested and led, or in some cases carried, away by the police.
The protest was organised by the group Defend Our Juries, which has organised a number of similar events in the last year, resulting in thousands of arrests.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: "We had hoped to see a different response from the Met Police today, but yet again they are embarking on making hundreds of arrests of regular people who refuse to do nothing as the judiciary criminalised those who act to save lives as terrorists.
“These arrests, like that of thousands of others, 1855 of whom were listed as needing to appear in court today, are an assault on our democracy, our civil liberties and our moral obligation to step in to prevent genocide.
“We urge the new PM to stop this insanity, at a time when there is so much positive work to be done in our country, Andy Burnham needs to put a stop to huge sums of taxpayer money being used for these arrests and prosecutions that the public at large do not support.”
The Met warned the night before that anyone who expressed support for Palestine Action was liable to be arrested.
Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine said: "The law is clear. Expressing support for proscribed organisations is a criminal offence and anyone doing so can expect to be arrested.
"There are any number of ways to express views on the humanitarian situation in Gaza or on Israeli military action that don’t involve criminality.
“Doing otherwise is an intentional decision and one which has a detrimental impact on the public, court staff, victims and witnesses attending court, and those trying to go about their lawful business in the local area.”
He added: “It also affects Londoners more broadly whose local police officers are withdrawn from communities to police this operation.
“The fact that there are no hearings related to Palestine Action taking place at the court tomorrow [Thursday] makes the decision to continue with this event all the more nonsensical.
“Even at this late hour, I would urge those intending to take part to reflect on their decision to do so.”
