Over 200 arrested at London protest over ban on Palestine Action

Police arrested more than 200 people for allegedly voicing support for the banned group Palestine Action on Saturday.

The arrests began shortly after hundreds had gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the ban, with those held aged from 27 to 82.

Around 100 police officers moved into the large crowd in pairs after gathering in formation at the base of Nelson’s Column.

At one stage, several police officers carried a woman out of the crowd as people chanted “shame on you”. Police then lifted a man out in handcuffs and walked an elderly protester with a walking stick to a police van, prompting anger from the crowd.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that all 212 arrests that had been made by 4.50pm were for showing support for a proscribed organisation.

Proscription makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

In February, the High Court said the Government’s ban on Palestine Action was “disproportionate and unlawful” and that most of the group’s activities had not reached the level, scale and persistence to be defined as terrorism.

The Met Police initially said it would stop arresting people for such offences under the Terrorism Act, limiting itself to gathering evidence for potential future prosecutions.

But after Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, was given permission to appeal against the decision, the force said it had “revised” its approach and warned those attending Saturday’s protest that “we will not hesitate to act where the law is broken”.

As the protest began, activists unveiled signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. Hundreds of demonstrators sat on camping chairs and on the ground as they held up their placards.

‘This is ridiculous’

Robert Del Naja, a musician with Massive Attack, sat with an “I Support Palestine Action” sign despite the consequences a potential arrest could have for his career.

He told the Press Association: “Being a musician, obviously, there was a lot of trepidation around how we might not be able to travel and get visas. But I thought ‘this is ridiculous’ and then the police making that U-turn to arrest people again, I thought that is even more ridiculous. So I’m going to hold a sign today.

“I think that the actions of Palestine Action were highly patriotic, because they were pretty much protecting our country from getting involved in serious war crimes and breaking international law. How much more patriotic can you be than that?”

At the top of the square, near the National Gallery, large banners were displayed reading: “Jurors deserve to hear the whole truth” and “Israel starves kids”.

As the arrests began, protesters, some carried by their ankles and under their arms by officers, were led to an area at the side of Trafalgar Square surrounded by a metal fence. One woman was seen smiling as she held up her hands in handcuffs, while others sat on the ground in silence.

‘I absolutely adore them’

Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstration, said: “The Met are choosing to make arrests despite the Government’s ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the High Court, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful.”

Qesser Zuhrah, who previously went on hunger strike for 48 days after being jailed over support for Palestine Action, said: “We believe that the ones who create the weapons and use them to bomb children, mothers, women and men who only dream of freedom, they are the terrorists. The ones raging a regional genocide are the terrorists.”

At one stage, protesters accused police of dragging a woman out of the protest and not supporting her shoulders. The woman could then be seen lying with her eyes closed as officers and bystanders surrounded her in a circle. Others shouted to police that she needed medical attention.

Yael Kahn, who used to care for female political prisoners in Gaza before moving to England, told the Press Association: “I wish, when my family was exterminated in the Holocaust by Nazi Germany, I wish there were people protesting, like all of these lovely people here. I absolutely adore them.”