UK Police Arrested 542 People For Protesting The Government Banning Palestine Action As "Terrorist”
Police said that the number of arrests was the largest it had made on a single day in the last 10 years, according to the BBC.
The Metropolitan Police in London, UK, arrested a total of 542 people who were protesting to support Palestine Action after the UK government banned it as a terrorist group.
Palestine Action is a pro-Palestine group founded in 2020 that uses non-violent direct action to disrupt the arms industry in the UK, which supplies the Israeli army with weapons used in its genocide in Gaza.
The group most frequently targets British factories linked to Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
On July 5, after Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton, a Royal Air Force base, and sprayed paint on the engines of two military planes, the UK government banned the group as a terrorist organization, making it illegal for people in the UK to be a member of or support Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act of 2000.
People found guilty of supporting Palestine Action will face penalties of up to 14 years in prison, similar to showing support for groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
On Saturday, Aug. 9, hundreds of people gathered at parliament square in London to protest against the government ban on Palestine Action.
Organizers Defend Our Juries said that more than 1,000 people sat on the ground silently between 1 pm and 2 pm local time, holding cardboard signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
But the police then cracked down on protesters, arresting 542 people, most of them for holding signs, according to the Met police.
Police said that the number of arrests was the largest it had made on a single day in the last 10 years, according to the BBC.
Videos showed police officers dragging and arresting protesters, including elderly people and a disabled blind man.
An age breakdown released by the Metropolitan police on Sunday revealed that almost 100 of those detained were in their 70s and 15 were in their 80s, and of the 519 people with confirmed dates of birth, 49.9% were 60 or older, according to the Guardian.
Amnesty International had sent a letter to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner before the protest saying arresting peaceful protesters for holding signs is a violation of the UK’s international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and would also violate international human rights law.
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