Particle.news
Download on the App Store

London Police Make Nearly 900 Arrests at Parliament Protest Over Palestine Action Ban

Police say most detentions were for publicly supporting the proscribed group under terrorism laws that carry penalties of up to 14 years.

Overview

  • Scotland Yard reported 857 arrests for alleged support of a banned organisation and 33 for other offenses, including 17 suspected assaults on officers.
  • Police leadership described coordinated violence against officers, saying some were punched, kicked, spat at and hit with thrown objects.
  • Organisers from Defend Our Juries dispute the police account, alleging officers used force against peaceful, often older, demonstrators and arrested people for holding placards.
  • A separate pro‑Palestinian march of about 20,000 people in London proceeded largely without incident with only a few arrests.
  • The government banned Palestine Action in July after RAF aircraft were damaged in an incident causing more than €8 million in losses, a move criticised by the UN and Amnesty as a threat to free expression, while a founder plans a court challenge with a November hearing and media report at least 100 people—up to 138—have been charged under the ban.