Overview

• Metropolitan Police’s final tally shows 522 people arrested over a weekend rally, with most held for ‘supporting a proscribed organisation’ and ten others detained for alleged assaults on officers.
• The UK government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 on July 5, criminalising membership or public endorsement with sentences of up to 14 years in prison.
• Home Office officials cited a June break-in at RAF Brize Norton, where activists caused multi-million-pound damage to military aircraft, as justification for the ban.
• The United Nations, Amnesty International and a coalition of public figures have criticised the crackdown as an excessive infringement on rights to free speech and assembly.
• Defend Our Juries won the right to legally challenge the proscription and will face a hearing in November, while organisers pledge further demonstrations despite mass arrests.