London
–
Police arrested 466 people in central London on Saturday as they protested the UK government’s decision to ban Palestinian activist group Palestinian action under the Counter Terrorism Act.
“As of 9pm, 466 people were arrested for showing support for Palestinian actions,” Metropolitan Police wrote to X on Saturday.
Eight people have been arrested for other crimes. This includes five people in the assault on an officer, but police said none were seriously injured.
Palestine Action is a UK-based group that aims to disrupt the operations of arms manufacturers that supply the Israeli government.
Last month, British lawmakers voted to ban the group after two Palestinian activists broke into central England’s largest air force base in June and damaged two military aircraft.
The group’s prohibition is illegal under British law, and is either a member of Palestinian actions or invites support, making it equivalent to terrorist organizations such as Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS.
A large crowd appeared on Saturday afternoon at a demonstration organized by defending the ju apprentices in London’s Parliament Square. London metropolitan police had warned that they would arrest anyone who showed support for the banned group.
One of the 80-year-old protesters from Surrey, England, told CNN he wanted to remain anonymous and attended the protest to show that the government’s decision on Palestinian actions was “what a god.”
She said organizers aim to ensure at least 500 people are sitting peacefully at the sign. “I saw people being taken away by the police, but they weren’t enough police to arrest everything,” she added.
Organizers of the demonstration said on social media that over 1,000 people attended the protest saying they were “supporting Palestinian Action” with signs that they read on social media as “I am against genocide and support Palestinian Action.”
Metropolitan police said about 500-600 people were in attendance when the demonstrations began. “Many were onlookers, the media, or people who didn’t have placards to support Palestinian actions,” police said in a previous statement.
“Anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestinian actions has been arrested or arrested,” Scotland Yard added.
Those arrested in the protests “are a condition that “points for prisoners in the Westminster area and those who can see details will be released on bail and not attend further protests in support of Palestinian actions,” police also said.
CNN teams on the ground witnessed a brawl between protesters and police as demonstrators were arrested and taken away to support Palestinian actions. Onlookers heard police officers scream “I will shame you” as they removed peaceful protesters from the area.
British Secretary of Home Affairs Yvette Cooper thanked the police saying that “they are dealing with a very small number of people whose actions have led to criminality.”
“The right to protest is something we strongly protect, but this is very different from displaying support for this particular narrow, prohibited organization,” she said.
Amnesty International UK has condemned the arrest of peaceful protesters as “a violation of the UK’s international obligation to protect the right to freedom of expression and assembly.”
Last week, Palestinian Action co-founder Huda Ammori won a bid to challenge the ban, and a judge in the London High Court granted permission to seek judicial review.
CNN’s Jonny Hallam and Billy Stockwell contributed the report.
