‘Lift the ban’ protests in London
British authorities reported nearly 900 arrests during a protest in support of the banned group Palestine Action on Saturday, while the government urged people to stop backing the organisation. The British government outlawed Palestine Action under anti-terror laws in July after its members breached a Royal Air Force facility and damaged military aircraft. The move followed a series of vandalism incidents targeting British defence companies with Israeli links. The group accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of complicity in what it calls Israeli war crimes in Gaza. The Metropolitan Police confirmed 890 arrests from Saturday’s protest in central London near Parliament— the highest number recorded from a single such event. Of these, 857 were detained for supporting a proscribed organisation, while 17 were held for assaulting officers after the protest reportedly turned violent, as reported by Reuters. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart said: “The violence we encountered during the operation was coordinated and carried out by a group of people … intent on creating as much disorder as possible.” Defend Our Juries, the organisers of the protest, said those arrested included clergy, military veterans, healthcare workers, elderly people and some disabled individuals. “These mass acts of defiance will continue until the ban is lifted,” a spokesperson said. Under UK law, supporting or being a member of Palestine Action is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The proscription placed it in the same category as al Qaeda and Islamic State. Human rights organisations have criticised the ban as disproportionate and restrictive of peaceful protest rights. Defence Minister John Healey defended the government’s stance and rejected accusations of “a two-tier policing and justice system” raised by right-wing critics. Speaking to Sky News, he said: “Almost everyone shares the agony when we see the images from Gaza … and for people who want to voice their concern and protest, I applaud them. But that does not require them to link it to support for Palestine Action, a proscribed group.” Many of those detained on Saturday were later released on police bail, though the status of a number of others remains unclear.
