Dozens have been arrested across the UK as protesters defy the law for a second consecutive week, demonstrating against the designation of the direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
Groups gathered in central London, Manchester, Cardiff and elsewhere on Saturday to protest the decision to ban the group.
According to Defend Our Juries, 40 were arrested in London, 16 in Manchester and 13 individuals in Cardiff in pre-planned stunts which the police had been notified of in advance.
Elsewhere, at least 10 arrests were reported in Derry, North of Ireland, and a 55-year-old was arrested while leafleting in Glasgow, Scotland, for wearing a t-shirt with the words “GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE TIME TO TAKE ACTION” written on it.
At the London demo, 5Pillars witnessed two small groups sat at the steps of the Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela statues shortly after 1pm in Parliament Square. The activists, made up largely of female and elderly participants received a round of applause as they were handcuffed and led to police vans.
The individuals were arrested after they gathered and held up signs which read: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Palestine Action is a proscribed terrorist group in the UK and expressing any kind of support for the group can lead to a 14 year jail sentence.
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Police carried away some of the protesters who chose to go floppy and lay on the ground while others chose to walk to the police van.
Ahead of the protest, Scotland Yard issued warnings to the public that officers will act where criminal offences, including support of proscribed groups or organisations, are committed.
The force added that this includes “chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos.” Information regarding the law and the consequences of breaking it have been shared on the Metropolitan Police’s X account.
This latest round of arrests comes after a similar stunt occurred on July 5, the day the law came into affect, where 27 people, including medics and an elderly priest, were arrested for holding the same signs at Parliament Square.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said shortly after the July 5 arrests: “We commend the Counter Terrorism police for their decisive action in protecting the people of London from some cardboard signs opposing the genocide in Gaza and expressing support for those taking action to prevent it. It’s a relief to know that Counter Terrorism police have nothing better to do.”
The move to ban the organisation came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June in an incident claimed by Palestine Action which caused an estimated £7 million worth of damage.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action, saying that the vandalism of the planes was “disgraceful” and the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage.”
However, journalists, activists and even some politicians have criticised the plan ahead of the law coming into affect over freedom of speech concerns.
