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Met Police arrest nearly 900 Palestine Action supporters in London protest

Some 890 protesters at a Palestine Action rally have been arrested in Parliament Square, central London, the vast majority of whom have been cuffed for Terrorism Act Offences

[Some 890 people were arrested]

Some 890 people were arrested(Image: PA)

The Metropolitan Police have arrested hundreds of people at a Palestine Action protest in London on Saturday (September 6), officials have confirmed.

Organisers Defend Our Juries claim around 1,500 people descended on Westminster's Parliament Square for the rally, many holding signs that read: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. Some 890 people were arrested - the vast majority of whom were cuffed for Terrorism Act Offences.

Some 857 people were arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) for showing support for the proscribed group. A further 33 people were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers.

Those arrested were processed at a prisoner reception point in the Westminster area.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart, who led the policing operation, said: Id like to thank all officers involved in yesterdays operation for their professionalism and tireless work despite the level of abuse that they faced.

The violence we encountered during the operation was coordinated and carried out by a group of people, many wearing masks to conceal their identity, intent on creating as much disorder as possible. Many of those individuals have now been arrested and we have begun securing charges.

The contrast between this demonstration and the other protests we policed yesterday, including the Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 people, was stark. You can express your support for a cause without committing an offence under the Terrorism Act or descending into violence and disorder, and many thousands of people do that in London every week.

We have a duty to enforce the law without fear or favour. If you advertise that you are intending to commit a crime, we have no option but to respond accordingly.

[Police said they had a 'duty to enforce law']

Police said they had a 'duty to enforce law'(Image: PA)

Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation after "[committing] acts of serious damage to property with the aim of progressing its political cause and influencing the Government."

"These include attacks at Thales in Glasgow in 2022, and in 2024 at Instro Precision in Kent and Elbit Systems UK in Bristol," government documents state.

However, demonstrators at yesterday's protest oppose the proscription. Defend Our Juries also claimed officers "violently [assaulted] peaceful protesters including the elderly, in order to try and arrest over 1,000 people for holding cardboard signs."

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said yesterday: "Despite Mark Rowley insisting the police could and would arrest everyone who opposed the ban, it would take them another 36 hours to arrest everyone at this rate.

"Yvette Cooper launched the biggest attack on our civil liberties in living memory, and it has backfired spectacularly."

They also claimed that the so-called "Palestine Action ban" is "impossible to enforce and a preposterous waste of resources."

Another major demonstration last month led to the arrest of 532 people.

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