London police detained more than 200 people on Saturday in what the authorities called the biggest pro-Palestine Action protest since the UK government banned the group under anti-terror legislation last month.
The Parliament Square protest attracted hundreds of attendees, who donned Palestinian scarves, waved flags and carried signs displaying "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." "Shame on you" and "hands off Gaza" chants rang out through central London as officers advanced to arrest participants.
The Metropolitan Police issued a statement that the arrests would increase, discounting organisers' assertions that only a minority of protesters were being targeted. "Anyone within here today who was carrying a placard in support of Palestine Action was either being arrested or in the process of being arrested," the force said.
ALSO READ: Behind The Wheels: UK’s Delivery Rider Crackdown Nets Nearly 300 Arrests In A Week
Palestine Action was proscribed in July after a break-in at a Royal Air Force base, where members sabotaged aircraft in protest at Britain's military aid to Israel. The government claims the group is behind other serious offenses including violence, injury, and widespread damage. Under UK legislation, membership or showing support for a listed group is punishable with a maximum 14-year prison sentence.
The ban has been subjected to scathing criticism from the United Nations, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and other groups, who claim it is an excessive overreach that threatens to suppress free speech and legitimate protest. Palestine Action founder Huda Ammori has been allowed to legally fight the conflict, with a hearing slated for later this year.
The demonstration on Saturday was organized by Defend Our Juries, who dubbed the event an act of civil disobedience to "defend this country's ancient liberties." In a release, the group stated "unprecedented numbers" had been prepared to risk arrest and potential imprisonment, and promised that its "numbers are already swelling for the next wave of action in September."
Amongst those detained was psychotherapist Craig Bell, 39, who described the government's prohibition as "absolutely ridiculous." Drawing parallels between Palestine Action and real terrorist groups, he added, "It's a joke that they're being prescribed a terrorist group."
Richard Bull, 42, who uses a wheelchair, said to journalists, "Let them arrest us all. This government has gone too far. I have nothing to feel ashamed of."
The arrests take place amidst increasing legal and political opposition to the ban. Amnesty International UK has called on police to use restraint in handling individuals carrying placards endorsing Palestine Action, warning that doing so would constitute a violation of international human rights law.
Since July 5, when the ban came into force, police throughout the UK have arrested dozens of others in similar circumstances, with cases already brought against them in England, Wales, and Scotland under different legal frameworks.
With tempers frayed and a second wave of protest in the offing, the struggle over the legality of Palestine Action and more generally the extent to which the state can limit political freedom of expression is far from finished.
