Hundreds of protesters arrested in London for supporting banned pro-Palestinian group
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
UK police arrest hundreds for backing banned pro-Palestine group
Police in London arrested 466 people Saturday for supporting Palestine Action. It was the latest and largest protest backing the group since the government banned it last month. The Metropolitan Police said it had made the arrests, thought to be one of the highest number ever at a single protest in the United Kingdom capital. The government outlawed Palestine Action in early July, days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft. Critics, including the United Nations and groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have condemned the move as legal overreach and a threat to free speech. But interior minister Yvette Cooper insisted late Saturday Palestine Action had been outlawed “based on strong security advice” and following “an assessment from the Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre that the group prepares for terrorism”. The group said its activists were responding to Britain’s indirect military support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Police in London arrested 466 people Saturday for supporting Palestine Action at the latest and largest protest backing the group since the government banned it last month under anti-terror laws.
The Metropolitan Police said it had made the arrests, thought to be one of the highest number ever at a single protest in the United Kingdom capital, for “supporting a proscribed organisation”.
It also arrested eight people for other offences including five for alleged assaults on officers, though none were seriously injured, it added.
The government outlawed Palestine Action in early July, days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.
The group said its activists were responding to Britain’s indirect military support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.
Britain’s interior ministry reiterated ahead of Saturday’s protests that Palestine Action was also suspected of other “serious attacks” that involved “violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage”.
But critics, including the United Nations and groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have condemned the move as legal overreach and a threat to free speech.
– ‘Unprecedented’ –
A group called Defend Our Juries, which organised Saturday’s protests and previous demonstrations against the ban, said “unprecedented numbers” had risked “arrest and possible imprisonment” to “defend this country’s ancient liberties”.
“We will keep going. Our numbers are already growing for the next wave of action in September,” it added.
Attendees began massing near parliament at lunchtime bearing signs saying “oppose genocide, support Palestine Action” and other slogans, and waving Palestinian flags.
Psychotherapist Craig Bell, 39, was among those holding a placard. For him, the ban was “absolutely ridiculous”.
“When you compare Palestine Action with an actual terrorist group who are killing civilians and taking lives, it’s just a joke that they’re being prescribed a terrorist group,” he told AFP.
As police moved in on the demonstrators, who nearly all appeared to offer no resistance, attendees applauded those being arrested and shouted “shame on you” at officers.
“Let them arrest us all,” said Richard Bull, 42, a wheelchair-user in attendance.
“This government has gone too far. I have nothing to feel ashamed of.”
However, interior minister Yvette Cooper insisted late Saturday Palestine Action had been outlawed “based on strong security advice” and following “an assessment from the Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre that the group prepares for terrorism”.
“Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation,” she said, adding it “is not non-violent”.
“The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation.”
– NGOs opposed –
Police forces across the UK have made scores of similar arrests since the government outlawed Palestine Action on July 5, making being a member or supporting the group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Police announced this week that the first three people had been charged in the English and Welsh criminal justice system with supporting Palestine Action following their arrests at a July 5 demo.
Seven people have so far been charged in Scotland, which has a separate legal system.
Amnesty International UK Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh wrote to Met Police chief Mark Rowley this week urging restraint be exercised when policing people holding placards expressing support for Palestine Action.
“The arrest of otherwise peaceful protesters is a violation of the UK’s international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and assembly,” Amnesty said Saturday on X.
A UK court challenge against the decision to proscribe Palestine Action will be heard in November.
He is set to appear before the Mandeville Parish Court on Wednesday, August 20.
London police arrest 466 people as pro-Palestinian protesters defy new law
British police said they arrested 466 people in central London yesterday. Supporters of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group intentionally flouted the law. Backers of the group argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression. Police and protest organisers sparred over the number of arrests as the organisers sought to show the law was unworkable. The government moved to ban Palestine Action after the activists broke into a British air force base in southern England on June 20 to protest British military support for the Israel-Hamas war. Many Palestinian supporters criticise the government for not doing enough to end the war in Gaza. The arrests came amid what is expected to be a busy weekend of demonstrations in London as well as counter-protests across the United Kingdom. The protests are expected to take place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon in London and elsewhere in the UK. The UK government has angered Palestinian supporters with plans to recognise a Palestinian state later this year. It has also been accused of failing to do enough to stop Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“As of 9pm, 466 people had been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action,” the Metropolitan Police wrote on X on Saturday.
Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to publicly support the organisation.
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Police officers patrol during demonstrator during a protest in support of the Palestinian People in Gaza, in Parliament Square, in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) (AP)
That came after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalised two tanker planes to protest against Britain’s support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip .
Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the UK over the past month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression.
Daring police to arrest them
More than 500 protesters filled the square outside the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, many daring police to arrest them by displaying signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
That was enough for police to step in.
But as the demonstration began to wind down, police and protest organisers sparred over the number of arrests as the organisers sought to show that the law was unworkable.
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Police officers arrest a demonstrator during a protest in support of the Palestinian people, in Parliament Square, in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) (AP)
“The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing ‘terrorism’ offences, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home,” Defend Our Juries, which organised the protest, said in a statement.
“This is a major embarrassment to (the government), further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government’s own crimes.”
London’s Metropolitan Police Service quickly hit back, saying this wasn’t true and that many of those who gathered in the square were onlookers, media or people who didn’t hold placards supporting the group.
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A demonstrator sits on the ground in handcuffs, during a protest in support of the Palestinian people, in Parliament Square, in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) (AP)
“We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested,” the police force said in a statement.
On Friday, police said the demonstration was unusual in that the protesters wanted to be arrested in large numbers so as to place a strain on police and the broader criminal justice system.
Why the group is being banned
The government moved to ban Palestine Action after the activists broke into a British air force base in southern England on June 20 to protest British military support for the Israel-Hamas war. T
he activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes at the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and caused further damage with crowbars.
Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defence contractors and other sites in the United Kingdom that they believe have links with the Israeli military.
Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to publicly support the organisation. (AP)
Supporters of the group are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has gone too far in declaring Palestine Action a terrorist organisation.
“Once the meaning of ‘terrorism’ is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead,” Defend Our Juries said on its website.
Busy weekend of protests
The arrests outside Parliament came amid what is expected to be a busy weekend of demonstrations in London as the war in Gaza and concerns about immigration spur protests and counterprotests across the United Kingdom.
While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has angered Israel with plans to recognise a Palestinian state later this year, many Palestinian supporters in Britain criticise the government for not doing enough to end the war in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Saturday afternoon in central London for a march that ended outside the gates of No. 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s official residence and offices.
On Sunday, a number of groups are scheduled to march through central London to demand the safe release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Palestinian militants have held the captives since Hamas-led attackers surged into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1200 people and taking 251 hostage. There are 50 remaining hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive.
Police are also preparing for protests outside hotels across the country that are being used to house asylum-seekers. Protesters and counter-protesters have squared off outside the hotels in recent weeks, with some saying the migrants pose a risk to their communities and others decrying anti-immigrant racism.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the scale of the events would “put pressure” on the police department.
“This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence,” Adelekan said before the protests began.
UK arrests hundreds backing banned pro-Palestine group
UK arrests hundreds backing banned pro-Palestine group Palestine Action. London’s Metropolitan Police arrested more than 365 people at a protest against Britain’s decision to ban the group. Protesters, some wearing black and white Palestinian scarves and waving Palestinian flags, chanted “hands off Gaza” Police also arrested seven people for other offences including five for assaults on officers.
Police in London arrested hundreds for supporting Palestine Action, at the latest protest backing the group since it was banned last month under anti-terror laws. Photo: AFP
London’s Metropolitan Police arrested more than 365 people at a protest against Britain’s decision to ban the group Palestine Action, the force said.
Protesters, some wearing black and white Palestinian scarves and waving Palestinian flags, chanted “hands off Gaza”, and held placards with the message “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”, video taken by Reuters at the scene showed.
Israel denies allegations of being responsible for genocide in Gaza.
The Reuters video showed demonstrators who had gathered in Parliament Square by the Houses of Parliament being carried away by police.
The crowd chanted “shame on you” at the police.
In a post on X, the police force said it had arrested 365 people for supporting a proscribed organisation.
It also arrested seven people for other offences including five for assaults on officers, adding none was seriously injured.
In July, British lawmakers banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in protest against Britain’s support for Israel.
The ban makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, last week won a bid to bring a legal challenge against the ban. (Reuters)
Hundreds arrested at London protest for banned Palestine Action group
London police say they arrested 365 people for supporting a proscribed organization. British lawmakers banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation. The ban makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, last week won a bid to bring a legal challenge against the ban.
:: August 9, 2025
:: London, England
Protesters, some wearing black and white Palestinian scarves and waving Palestinian flags, chanted “hands off Gaza”, and held placards with the message “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”, video taken by Reuters at the scene showed.
Israel denies allegations of being responsible for genocide in Gaza.
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The Reuters video showed demonstrators who had gathered in Parliament Square by the Houses of Parliament being carried away by police. The crowd chanted “shame on you” at the police.
In a post on X, the police force said it had arrested 365 people for supporting a proscribed organization.
It also arrested seven people for other offenses including five for assaults on officers, adding none were seriously injured.
In July, British lawmakers banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in protest against Britain’s support for Israel.
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The ban makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, last week won a bid to bring a legal challenge against the ban.
London protests live updates: Police arrest 200 people as hundreds rally in support of Palestine Action
Hundreds gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster to hold up signs. 200 people have been arrested so far, with ‘more to follow’ The government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terror group is currently being challenged in the High Court, with a court case expected later in the autumn. Thousands of people are taking part in a Palestine Solidarity march through London to protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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Hundreds of people have been arrested at a demonstration against the terror ban of the group Palestine Action.
Hundreds gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster to hold up signs, which read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. 200 people have been arrested at the action so far, with “more to follow”, the police said.
The Metropolitan Police has brought in scores of officers from other forces to help deal with a busy weekend of protests.
Organisers of the action claimed that between 600 and 700 people were taking part in the demonstration against the terror ban, but police said the number was likely less than this.
The government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terror group is currently being challenged in the High Court, with a court case expected later in the autumn.
As a result of Palestine Action’s proscription, it is now an offence to hold up a sign or wear a t-shirt in support of the group under section 13 of the Terrorism Act.
Separately, thousands of people are taking part in a Palestine Solidarity march through London to protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.