UK Police Arrest 522 at London Protests Linked to Palestine Action

On Saturday, London police arrested 522 people protesting against the UK government’s recent decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000. This arrest count, considered the highest ever at a single protest in the capital, was updated on Sunday from an earlier figure of 466. All but one of the arrests occurred at Parliament Square in central London, where protesters displayed placards supporting Palestine Action. The remaining arrest happened in nearby Russell Square, during a Palestine Coalition march against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which has so far killed at least 61,430 people and injured 153,213.

In addition to the mass arrests, the Metropolitan Police made 10 further arrests, six for assaults on officers, though no serious injuries were reported. The protest was part of a series of rallies condemning the government’s July 5 ban of Palestine Action, which came shortly after the group claimed responsibility for a break-in at a southern England air force base, causing around £7 million ($9.4 million) in damage to two aircraft. The group says its actions are a response to the UK’s indirect military support for Israel during the Gaza conflict.

Palestine Action cofounder Huda Ammori described Saturday’s protest as a historic act of collective defiance against what she called an unprecedented attack on fundamental freedoms. The police reported that those arrested ranged widely in age, with the average age being 54, and included six teenagers, 97 individuals in their 70s, and 15 in their 80s. Men and women were detained in roughly equal numbers.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the government’s decision to ban the group, stating that national security and public safety must take priority, adding that official assessments confirmed Palestine Action is not a non-violent organisation. However, critics, including the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace, have denounced the ban as legal overreach and a serious threat to free speech. Greenpeace UK’s Areeba Hamid accused the government of turning the police into “thought police” and criminalising direct action.

Since July 5, similar arrests have taken place across the UK, as membership or support of Palestine Action now carries a potential penalty of up to 14 years in prison. Police announced that the first three people had already been charged under the new law following their arrests during a July 5 protest. A further 26 case files from that day are set to be submitted to prosecutors, with more expected from later protests. Authorities noted that 30 of Saturday’s detainees had been arrested at previous Palestine Action events. As of Sunday afternoon, 18 people remained in custody but were expected to be released on bail. The Met’s counterterrorism command will now work to prepare the necessary case files for prosecution.

Meanwhile, a separate protest took place in central London on Sunday, calling for the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza. Organised by the group Stop the Hate, the march included relatives of captives such as Noga Guttman, cousin of 24-year-old Evyatar David, featured in a recent Hamas-released video. Protesters demanded the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages, stressing the issue as a humanitarian, not political, matter.