More than 450 people have been arrested by police in central London for showing support for Palestine Action – an activist group that the UK Government proscribed as a terrorist organisation last month after a string of alleged vandalism incidents.
The Metropolitan Police said 466 people had been arrested in an update this morning.
Birmingham-based New Zealander Greg Sawyer told 1News he was willing to show his support and break the law in defence of the right to protest.
“This isn’t, for me, just about Palestine Action. In fact, it’s not primarily about that. It’s about the fact that there is no possible way, no logical or reasonable way, you can call destruction of property a terrorist act,” he said.
Four Palestine Action members are accused of breaking into a British air force base in Oxfordshire and spraying red paint on two planes in June.
Showing support for the terrorist group is an offence under the Terrorism Act, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from doing just that in protest of the group’s proscription.
“It could be any activists, so we have to stand in solidarity with all people, all groups. It could be animal rights, civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTI rights, if they destroy property,” Sawyer said.
“Seeing all these lovely older people being dragged off by the police just for holding a sign because they’re against genocide. I mean, it’s crazy,” another protester who didn’t want to be named told 1News.
The protester said police could have dealt with the alleged vandalism under a criminal damage charge, saying it wasn’t an act of terrorism.
Organisers Defend Our Juries said more than 1000 protesters were involved, but police estimated 500 to 600 people were present when the protest began around 1pm, including onlookers, media and people not holding placards.
Officers entered the area where protesters were sitting in front of Parliament, arresting people holding placards. Police said seven additional arrests occurred for other offences, including five for assaulting police officers.
“Fortunately, none were seriously injured,” according to the Metropolitan Police.
At one stage, protesters held up general traffic and an ambulance by standing in front of a police van taking arrested protesters away from the site to be processed.
Once the ambulance siren started, the group moved off the road.
In a press release, the Metropolitan Police said two processing stations were set up in Westminster to avoid the resourcing of protesters being driven to custody suites.
People had their details confirmed before being released on bail with the condition that they can’t attend any protest in support of Palestine Action.
People who don’t provide their details or give details believed to be false were taken to a custody suite, police stated. Police said detention would occur if people continued to not provide their details or they couldn’t be confirmed.
Metropolitan Police are responding to several protests and events this weekend, putting a strain on resources.
Police from London City and Wales were seen at the Palestine Action protest.
There were two arrests at Canary Wharf, where a protest against asylum seekers being housed in a hotel and a counter-protest against the group were held. The arrests were from both sides. There was also an arrest at a separate march in support of Palestine, where a person was holding a sign showing support for Palestine Action.
Investigations into those arrested at Parliament Square will occur in the coming days and weeks, police stated.
Police earlier reported Palestine Action’s alleged vandalism at the air force base caused around seven million pounds (NZ$15.7 million) of damage.
The group was established in 2020 to disrupt the arms industry in the UK and organisations it believes has links to Israel’s military.
The amount of military support the UK provides to Israel is unclear, the BBC has reported, but public attention has been drawn to parts made in Britain for the F-35 fighter jet, which has been used by Israel in Gaza.
Palestine Action is pursuing court action against its terrorist designation and is reported to have called the UK Government’s move authoritarian.
The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on the UK government to reverse the proscription and proceedings against protesters charged over it.