Palestine Action protesters arrested by police at London demo

At least 200 people have been arrested at a demonstration in London in support of proscribed group Palestine Action, police say.

Scores of people simultaneously unveiled handwritten signs with the same message “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” at the protest, organised by Defend Our Juries at Westminster’s Parliament Square.

The government proscribed the group in July under the Terrorism Act of 2000, making membership of or support for it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

With the protest still ongoing, the Metropolitan Police said anyone there who held a placard expressing support for the group “was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested”.

Footage from the square showed officers moving among the protesters, who were mainly seated on the ground, and speaking to them before leading them away.

On X, the Met Police said about 500 to 600 people were in Parliament Square when the protest began, but that “many were onlookers, media or people not holding placards in support of Palestine Action”.

It said by 15:40 BST it had arrested 200 people for supporting a proscribed organisation “with more to follow”, and a further four arrests had been made for assaults on police officers.

Protesters whose details could be confirmed during processing were bailed with conditions not to attend any further protest in support of Palestine Action.

People who refused to give their details or whose identities could not be verified were taken into custody.

The protest comes just days after the first three people to be charged with supporting the group in England and Wales were named.

When it announced the protest, Defend Our Juries said: “Together, in numbers, we will stand against UK complicity in Israel’s genocide.”

As well as the protest by Palestine Action, two marches have been organised by Palestine Coalition and pro-Israeli group Stop the Hate and will be held on consecutive days in central London.

The Metropolitan Police said it had drawn officers in from other forces to help form a “significant policing presence” in the capital as it faces a busy weekend.

More than 200 people have been arrested across the country for similar reasons since the ban was implemented by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last month.

On Thursday two women and a man were also charged with showing support for a proscribed terror group. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September, the Metropolitan Police said.

At the end of July, the High Court ruled that Palestine Action would be able to challenge its proscription.

Lawyers for the group’s co-founder Huda Ammori have argued that the ban breaches the right to free speech and has acted like a gag on legitimate protest. The government says the ban is justified because it narrowly targets a group that has been organising serious criminality.

MPs voted to proscribe the group after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in June, spraying two Voyager aircraft with red paint and causing £7m worth of damage. Palestine Action took responsibility for the incident at the time.

A Home Office spokesperson said the decision to proscribe the group was based on “strong security advice” following “serious attacks the group had committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage”.