UK police make over 500 arrests in largest Palestine Action protest

The Metropolitan Police on Sunday, 10 August, arrested more demonstrators, taking the previous figure of 474 to over 500 during a weekend that saw the UK’s largest protests in support of Palestine Action, banned by the government recently, making it a criminal offence to show any backing for the group.

While 522 of those arrested during a demonstration in London were detained under the UK’s Terrorism Act for showing support for a proscribed group, others were held for other offences, including assaulting police officers.

Meanwhile, hundreds of pro-Israel counter-protesters also marched through central London on Sunday, demanding the release of hostages still held in Gaza and in a show of solidarity with Israel in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Many of those arrested at the pro-Palestine demonstrations were displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action.

The average age of those arrested was 54, and the most arrests — 147 of them — were of people aged between 60 and 69. The Met Police, the country’s largest police force, said it marked the most arrests made in a single operation in a decade.

“Our role in the context of protest remains as it always has been – to police without fear or favour, to enforce the law, to keep the peace by ensuring groups with opposing views do not come together and to prevent serious disorder and serious disruption to ordinary people going about their lives,” said deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan, who led the policing operation.

UK home secretary Yvette Cooper expressed her gratitude to the police for their work over a busy weekend of demonstrations by those protesting Israel’s actions in the conflict in Gaza.

"Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries, and extensive criminal damage," said Cooper.

Amnesty International UK's chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said the protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence, and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists.

"Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the government should be focusing on taking immediate and unequivocal action to put a stop to Israel's genocide and ending any risk of UK complicity in it," he said.

Those arrested were taken to processing points at Westminster in central London, and those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail on the condition that they must not attend further Palestine Action support events.

Others whose details could not be verified, many refusing to give them to the police, were taken to custody suites across London.

Legislation to ban Palestine Action came into force on 5 July, carrying a prison sentence of up to 14 years for showing support for the group.

"Palestine Action and people holding cardboard signs present no danger to the public at large," said a spokesperson for Defend Our Juries, one of the organisers of the protests.