LONDON: British police arrested around 425 people on Saturday (Sep 6) at a demonstration backing Palestine Action, the pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organisation.
Britain outlawed Palestine Action in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group has also targeted defence firms with links to Israel, accusing the government of complicity in alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
MASS DETENTIONS
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in London to oppose the ban, holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
Police said those detained were arrested for offences including assaulting officers and supporting a proscribed organisation. “Officers … have been subjected to an exceptional level of abuse including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, in addition to verbal abuse,” London’s Metropolitan Police wrote on X.
The proscription puts Palestine Action in the same category as al-Qaeda and ISIS, making it a crime to support or belong to the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
