Overview

• Metropolitan Police reported more than 425 arrests by late evening, with at least 25 held for alleged assaults or public-order offences and the remainder for supporting a proscribed organisation.
• Organisers said roughly 1,500 people joined the Defend Our Juries sit-in at Parliament Square to challenge the proscription, and arrests began within minutes of the protest’s start.
• Police described an exceptional level of abuse and said officers were punched, kicked and spat on as batons were drawn during scuffles, while footage showed at least one detainee bleeding.
• Many participants were older and followed tactics such as refusing street bail and going “floppy,” which the Met said strained resources and slowed processing of arrests.
• Palestine Action was banned in July following damage at RAF Brize Norton; a court hearing on the group’s legal challenge is set for 25 September, and the government has permission to appeal that challenge moving forward.