The number of people arrested for supporting banned group Palestine Action at a protest in central London has risen to more than 520.
Only 18 of those people remained in custody on Sunday afternoon but were expected to be released on bail “in the coming hours”, the Metropolitan Police said.
Hundreds attended the demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the force warning it would arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
The Met confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of 532 total arrests made during the policing operation.
One arrest took place at the form up of the Palestine Coalition march in Russell Square, with the remaining 521 arrests at the protest in Parliament Square.
In a post on X shortly after 6.45pm on Sunday, Defend Our Juries said every person arrested in the square had been released from police custody, and that none had been charged.
Charity Amnesty International previously described the number of arrests under UK terrorism law as “deeply concerning”.
There were a further 10 arrests – six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions and one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty and a racially aggravated public order offence respectively, the force said.
Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area, and those whose details could be confirmed were bailed, with conditions not to attend any further protest in support of Palestine Action, Scotland Yard said on Saturday.
Those whose details were refused, or could not be verified, were taken to custody suites across London.
Some 320 people were dealt with at prisoner processing points while 212 were transported to custody, with 18 people remaining in the latter as of 1pm on Sunday, the force said.
On Saturday the crowd sat silently on the grass inside Parliament Square after writing “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” on white placards.
Police took several hours to individually remove the protesters, some sitting and some lying flat on the grass, from the square into waiting vans.
Onlookers applauded the protesters and shouted “shame on you” at the police making arrests.
Scotland Yard said it was aware of photos and footage posted online suggesting that some of those who were bailed had returned to Parliament Square.
Arrest update: We have finished compiling the full arrest figures for yesterday's operation.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 10, 2025
The details can be found at the link below.https://t.co/qFyLLTmELl
“We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square rejoined the protesters who were holding placards,” the force said.
The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will work to secure charges against those arrested “over the coming days and weeks”, the force added.
Earlier this week, the first three people to be charged with supporting Palestine Action in England and Wales were named.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, Judit Murray, 71, and Fiona Maclean, 53, have all been charged with displaying an article in a public place, arousing reasonable suspicion that they are a supporter of a proscribed organisation after their attendance at a previous demonstration on July 5.
A further 26 case files relating to arrests at that same protest are due to be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service imminently, the Met said.
Hundreds of people have been arrested in a wave of Defend Our Juries protests across the UK since the ban against Palestine Action was implemented by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last month.
Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori said the Parliament Square demonstration would “go down in our country’s history as a momentous act of collective defiance of an unprecedented attack on our fundamental freedoms”.
She also criticised the policing methods used on Saturday, claiming that the fact most of those arrested at the protest were “given street bail and allowed to go home” proved the current ban was “unenforceable”.
In a statement, Ms Ammori said: “This is humiliating for the Home Secretary, who will now have to justify this ‘two-tier’ policing of arresting some people as ‘terrorists’ for holding a sign, but not others who held the exact same sign.
“It’s clear that more and more ordinary people appalled by this anti-democratic, authoritarian ban will defy it en masse and it is simply not possible to arrest them all.”
Ms Cooper thanked police in London and across the country on Saturday for their work to ensure peaceful protests, and officers’ “continued dedication in responding to support for a proscribed organisation”.
She said: “The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation.
“Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.”
