UK police arrest backers of banned Palestine Action
The government moved to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws last month after its activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against what the group said was the United Kingdom's support for Israel.
Late on Friday, the campaign lost an urgent appeal against the parliamentary decision to proscribe it as a terrorist organisation, with the ban coming into force from midnight.
Under UK laws, offences include inviting support, expressing approval or displaying symbols of a banned group and are punishable by up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine.
The UK has proscribed 81 groups under anti-terrorism laws, including Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS.
On Saturday, supporters gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster, some holding placards that said "I OPPOSE GENOCIDE. I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION".
Sky News footage showed some being led away in handcuffs from a statue of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in the square, as they shouted their support.
United Nations experts have accused Israel of carrying out "genocidal acts" against Palestinians in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, which began after militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel has repeatedly dismissed such accusations.
Palestine Action has targeted Israel-linked companies in the UK in its protests, with interior minister Yvette Cooper saying that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that the group's activities justify proscription.
Critics of the decision, including some United Nations experts and civil liberties groups, have argued that damaging property does not amount to terrorism.
At another protest on Saturday, the police arrested five pro-Palestine protesters from the Youth Demand group who threw red paint over a truck involved in London's Pride parade and glued themselves to the vehicle.
The parade has since resumed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'People living downstream on the Severn should really be on the alert'
I'VE just viewed the BBC television programme Why Cities Flood. The fine city of Worcester on the River Severn was mentioned. Both the Severn and Wye rise in the mountainous area around Pumlumon in Mid Wales. Do your thousands of readers realise there are proposals for up to 1,000 gigantic wind turbines across Wales, averaging a gargantuan 750 feet in height? More: Let's celebrate the class of 2025! More of your Year 11 prom photos More: Forwarded letter's key role for diamond wedding couple More: Group feeling good after grant boost They will be the biggest on land in the world — some will be 820 feet — and have massive concrete bases. They'll be surrounded by miles and miles of gravel tracks and concrete and tarmac roads. Therefore, the huge catchment areas of the Severn and Wye and their large tributaries, such as the Teme, Avon and Vyrnwy, will see non-absorbent concrete and tarmac replacing highly-absorbent peat, forestry, moorland and grassland. If that is not a recipe for dangerous, rapid flash-flooding on a huge scale, I don't know what is. People living downstream on the Severn in places such as Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Ironbridge, Bridgnorth, Stourport, Tewkesbury, Worcester and Gloucester should really be on the alert. So should people on the Wye in places like Ross and Hereford. May I suggest that they all write to their newspapers, councillors and MPs plus the Welsh government to protest vehemently against this likely dangerous flash-flooding? These horrendous wind farms need to be stopped altogether. The yo-yo UK wind energy graph for 2024 on proves beyond doubt that intermittent wind energy has no hope at all of powering the UK. So why install these extremely ugly, potentially dangerous giant wind farms? Protest letters galore from England to leading Welsh newspapers, like the Western Mail and South Wales Echo, would also help. L J Jenkins Gwbert, Cardigan
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Ship attacked in Red Sea off Yemen with guns and grenades, UK maritime agency says
A ship came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen by armed men firing guns and launching rocket-propelled grenades, a group overseen by the British military said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as tensions remain high in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and after the Iran-Israel war and airstrikes by the United States targeting Iranian nuclear sites. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that an armed security team on the ship had returned fire and that the 'situation is ongoing.' Advertisement 3 A ship was attacked off the coast of Yemen by gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades. AP It described the attack as happening some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the country's Houthi rebels. 'Authorities are investigating,' it said. Advertisement Ambrey, a maritime security firm, issued a warning saying that a merchant ship had been 'attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.' It said it believed the attack was ongoing. The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet referred questions to the military's Central Command, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group's al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred, but offered no other comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi. Advertisement 3 Houthi rebels have been launching attacks against commercial and military ships in the region as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Advertisement The Houthis paused attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel. On Sunday, the group claimed they launched a missile at Israel which the Israeli military said it intercepted. 3 Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, during a rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Yemen. REUTERS Meanwhile, a wider, decadelong war in Yemen between the Houthis and the country's exiled government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, remains in a statemate. The Yemeni Coast Guard, which is loyal to the exiled government, has engaged in a firefight with at least one vessel in the Red Sea in the past as well. Pirates from Somalia also have operated in the region, though typically they've sought to capture vessels either to rob or ransom their crews.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Oct. 7 probe in Mivtahim reveals military failure, massacre thwarted by small security squad
The probe revealed that a small emergency response squad, along with a single special forces soldier, prevented the massacre in the moshav. An IDF probe into the events that occurred on October 7 at Moshav Mivtahim in southern Israel revealed that the military failed to protect the moshav after the Hamas terror group infiltrated in the early morning hours. No military forces arrived until 1 a.m. that night, the probe showed. The probe also revealed that a small emergency response squad, along with a single special forces soldier, prevented the massacre that was planned to take place in the moshav. Only four members of the response squad were armed at the time. The military released a full timeline of the events from the beginning of the day, mapping out the order of events as they occurred. 6:35 a.m.: Hamas terrorists crossed into Israeli territory and moved toward Mivtahim. 6:43 a.m.: The regional security officer alerted the emergency squad via WhatsApp due to a confirmed infiltration. 6:47 a.m.: Mivtahim's security coordinator reached out to his counterpart on Moshav Yesha and activated his squad. Simultaneously, forces from Golani's 51st Battalion and tanks began handling 10 infiltration routes, which turned out to be dozens in hindsight. A security coordinator reported a confrontation at the Mivtahim junction. 7:25 a.m.: A wounded civilian from the junction reached a shelter in Moshav Yesha. The deputy security coordinator of Yesha called for medical aid and met with Mivtahim's security coordinator to assess the situation. 7:43 a.m.: Mivtahim's security coordinator and another squad member went to the junction. They joined the police and a Sde Nitzan resident, and engaged in battle against terrorists on the western side of the junction. 8:00 a.m.: Terrorists entered from the west through the fields. A squad member replaced the security coordinator in commanding the junction, as the security coordinator returned to the moshav, realizing fighting was underway. 8:15 a.m.: A squad member and an armed civilian encountered wounded workers near the synagogue and led them to a shelter. The security coordinator and another member arrived shortly after. 8:18 a.m.: The security coordinator-led team headed to a traffic circle and spotted terrorists throwing grenades at homes. A resident warned them from his window. Low on ammunition, they tried to reach a vehicle under fire—one was injured, and his weapon jammed. Terrorists entered the yards of two homes. The Yesha deputy security coordinator came to help. 8:22 a.m.: The deputy security coordinator and a squad member from Yesha arrived, split up, and fought. A special forces soldier home on leave realized what was happening and joined the fight. All three were likely ambushed and killed. Another squad member from Yesha was later killed near the community center. The deputy security coordinator was killed near the kindergarten while trying to get reinforcements. 8:30 a.m.: The security coordinator from Moshav Amioz arrived at the traffic circle after seeing WhatsApp reports and engaged in firefighting, later returning to Amioz, where his vehicle broke down. 8:40 a.m.: Terrorists broke into a resident's home but failed to breach the protected safe room where the family resisted. 9:40 a.m.: Terrorists stole cars from the traffic circle and left the moshav. Three others who remained wandered around the yards for hours before being captured. 10:27 a.m.: Four additional terrorists entered from the greenhouse area. 10:31 a.m.: A counter-terror unit (LOTAR) from the Arava region arrived, fired at terrorists, and forced them to retreat. 11:00 a.m.: Police forces arrived, called in reinforcements, and began searches. Ten minutes later, LOTAR began guided searches based on resident reports. 13:30 a.m.: Units captured three terrorists who had tied up foreign workers in a resident's yard. Ultimately, the findings of the probe concluded that the events that occurred reflected an operational military failure. The terrorists' massacre plan was disrupted due to the emergency squad and its members, the probe showed. It was also concluded that Mivtahim's emergency squad met official standards, but due to policy changes, not all members were armed or equipped, as the squad wasn't trained for an infiltration of this scale. Further, no significant military force took responsibility for the moshav until 1:00 a.m.
