Dozens arrested around the UK at protests to support proscribed group Palestine Action
Waving placards reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,' demonstrators gathered in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Londonderry and Truro.
The government moved to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20 to protest British military support for Israel's war with Hamas. The activists sprayed red paint into the jet engines of two huge tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars.
Parliament passed legislation earlier this month designating Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, meaning membership in the group or support for its actions are now punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Police announced an increased presence in central London ahead of the protests, saying they would protect the right to peaceful protest but would act swiftly if demonstrators violated the law.
'Those who see this as an opportunity to test the limits of the law by expressing support for Palestine Action, whether at a standalone protest or as part of the Palestine Coalition protest, will likely be committing an offense and will very likely be arrested,' Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said in a statement released Thursday.
Supporters of Palestine Action are challenging the ban, with the High Court in London scheduled to consider the case on Monday, according to the campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organized Saturday's protests.
Almost 100 protesters were arrested around the country on Saturday, including 55 in London, Defend Our Juries said in a statement.
In London, police officers surrounded demonstrators who had gathered at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi that stands in a park across the street from the Houses of Parliament. Officers confiscated placards and searched the bags of those arrested.
Video posted online showed police carrying an elderly man away from the demonstration in the Cornish city of Truro as he shouted, 'I oppose genocide.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
26 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Several people injured after passenger train derails in southwestern Germany
BERLIN (AP) — Several people were injured after a passenger train derailed Sunday in southwestern Germany, according to German news agency dpa. Federal police told dpa that the severity of the injuries was not immediately clear. The crash occurred in the Biberach district, nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the French border. Details about what caused the derailment were not immediately available.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Threat of U.S.-EU trade war looms as Trump and von der Leyen plan talks in Scotland
Published Jul 27, 2025 • 3 minute read President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 27, 2025 in Turnberry, Scotland. Photo by Andrew Harnik / Getty Images EDINBURGH, Scotland — President Donald Trump is meeting Sunday with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, taking a break from golfing in Scotland to discuss trade as both sides seek an agreement on tariff rates with the White House's deadline to impose stiff import taxes looming this week. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Trump continued his golfing weekend at his course in Turnberry on the southwest coast of Scotland with a group that included sons Eric and Donald Jr. and their wives. The Republican president waved at reporters and listened to shouted questions about the prospect of reaching a European Union deal during his private afternoon meeting with von der Leyen, but he offered no comment. Trump's five-day visit to Scotland is built around golf and promoting properties bearing his name. A small group of demonstrators at the course waved American flags and raised a sign criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who plans his own Turnberry meeting with Trump on Monday. Other voices could be heard cheering and chanting 'Trump! Trump!' as he played nearby. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On Tuesday, Trump will be in Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, where his family has another golf course and is opening a third next month. The president and his sons plan to help cut the ribbon on the new course. Trump for months has threatened most of the world with steep tariffs in hopes of shrinking large U.S. trade deficits with many key trading partners. The EU has been no exception. Trump has said 'we have a 50-50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50-50 chance of making a deal with the EU.' He also suggested that any deal would have to 'buy down' the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30% on the bloc of 27 member states. Scheduled to join von der Leyen were Maros Sefcovic, the EU's chief trade negotiator; Björn Seibert, the head of von der Leyen's Cabinet; Sabine Weyand, the commission's directorate-general for trade, and Tomas Baert, head of the trade and agriculture at the EU's delegation to the U.S. They planned a news conference after the talks. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The U.S. and EU seemed close to a deal earlier this month, but Trump instead threatened a 30% tariff rate. The deadline for the Trump administration to begin imposing tariffs has shifted in recent weeks but is now set for Friday. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money and off we go,' U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told 'Fox News Sunday.' He added, however, that even after that 'people can still talk to President Trump. I mean, he's always willing to listen.' Lutnick said the EU 'needs to make a deal and wants to make a deal and they are flying to Scotland to make a deal with President Trump. The question is do they offer President Trump a good enough deal that is worth it for him to step off of the 30% tariffs that he set.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Without an agreement, the EU says it is prepared to retaliate with tariffs on hundreds of American products, ranging from beef and auto parts to beer and Boeing airplanes. If Trump eventually makes good on his threat of tariffs against Europe, it could make everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the United States. Trump recently said he thought the odds of reaching a framework with Japan was 25%, but the allies announced an agreement this past week. His focus on trade has followed him to Scotland. On Saturday, he posted on his Truth Social platform that he would block any trade deals between the U.S. and Cambodia and Thailand because of their violent clashes along long-disputed border areas. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump wrote that he spoke with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Phumtham Wechayachai, the acting prime minister of Thailand, to call for a ceasefire. Both countries, Trump said, want to 'get back to the 'Trading Table' with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS. … When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!' The U.S. and Britain, meanwhile, announced a trade framework in May and a larger agreement last month during the Group of Seven meeting in Canada. Trump says that deal is concluded and that he and Starmer will discuss other matters, though the White House has suggested it still needs some polishing. Sports Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Islamic State-backed rebels attack a Catholic church in eastern Congo, killing at least 34
Published Jul 27, 2025 • 2 minute read People gather around the charred remains of a burned vehicle following a deadly attack in Komanda, Ituri province of eastern Congo, Sunday, July 27, 2025. Photo by Olivier Okande / AP GOMA, Congo — Islamic State-backed rebels attacked a Catholic church in eastern Congo on Sunday, killing at least 34 people, according to a local civil society leader. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, in the Ituri province, told The Associated Press that the attackers stormed the church in Komanda town at around 1 a.m. Several houses and shops were also burnt. 'The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy, and volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave that we are preparing in a compound of the Catholic church,' Duranthabo said. Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church. Those who were able to identify some of the victims wailed while others stood in shock. At least five other people were killed in an earlier attack on the nearby village of Machongani. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They took several people into the bush; we do not know their destination or their number,' Lossa Dhekana, a civil society leader in Ituri, told the AP. Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with guns and machetes. Lt. Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the Congolese army in Ituri, confirmed at least 10 fatalities in the Komanda church attack. However, UN-backed Radio Okapi reported 43 deaths, citing security sources. The attackers reportedly came from a stronghold about 12 kilometres from Komanda and fled before security forces arrived. Duranthabo condemned the violence in what he said was 'a town where all the security officials are present.' He called for immediate military intervention, warning that 'the enemy is still near our town.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo and often targets civilians. The group killed dozens of people in Ituri earlier this month in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath. The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The Congolese army (FARDC) has long struggled to contain the group, especially amid renewed conflict involving the M23 rebel movement backed by neighboring Rwanda. — Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria and Saleh Mwanamilongo contributed to this report. Sports Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
