Number of Palestine Action protesters arrested rises beyond 500
The Metropolitan Police said only 18 of those people remained in custody on Sunday afternoon but were expected to be released on bail 'in the coming hours'.
Hundreds of people attended the demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the police warning it would arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of 532 total arrests made during the policing operation.
One arrest took place at the formation of the Palestine Coalition march in Russell Square, with the remaining 521 arrests at the protest in Parliament Square.
A force spokesperson further explained there were a further 10 arrests – six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions and one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty and a racially aggravated public order offence respectively.
Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area, and those whose details could be confirmed were bailed, with conditions not to attend any further protest in support of Palestine Action, Scotland Yard said on Saturday.
Those whose details were refused, or could not be verified, were taken to custody suites across London.
Some 320 people were dealt with at prisoner processing points while 212 were transported to custody, with 18 people remaining in the latter as of 1pm on Sunday, the force said.
On Saturday the crowd sat silently on the grass inside Parliament Square after writing 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' on white placards.
Police took several hours to individually remove the protesters, some sitting and some lying flat on the grass, from the square into waiting vans.
Onlookers applauded the protesters and shouted 'shame on you' at the police making arrests.
Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
5 minutes ago
- The Guardian
MP removed from New Zealand parliament in heated debate over Palestinian recognition
New Zealand parliamentarian Chlöe Swarbrick was ordered to leave parliament on Tuesday during a heated debate over the government's response to the conflict in Gaza. An urgent debate was called after the centre-right government said on Monday it was weighing up its position on whether to recognise a Palestinian state. Close ally Australia on Monday joined Canada, the UK and France in announcing it would recognise a Palestinian state at a UN conference in September. Swarbrick, who is co-leader of the Green party, said New Zealand was a 'laggard' and an 'outlier' and the lack of decision was appalling, before calling on some government members to support a bill to 'sanction Israel for its war crimes'. The bill was proposed by her party in March and is supported by all opposition parties. 'If we find six of 68 government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,' said Swarbrick. Speaker Gerry Brownlee said that statement was 'completely unacceptable' and that she had to withdraw it and apologise. When she refused, Swarbrick was ordered to leave parliament. Brownlee later clarified Swarbrick could return on Wednesday but if she still refused to apologise she would again be removed from parliament. New Zealand has said it will make a decision in September about whether it would recognise Palestine as a state. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been strongly critical of growing international moves to recognise a Palestinian state. 'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it,' he said earlier this week. 'This canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful. But it's not going to change our position.' Netanyahu went on to claim Israel was 'actually applying force judiciously, and they know it'. Foreign minister Winston Peters told parliament that over the next month the government would gather information and talk to partners, which would inform cabinet's decision. 'We'll be weighing this decision carefully rather than rushing to judgment,' Peters said. Along with the Green party, opposition parties Labour and Te Pati Maori support recognition of a Palestinian state. Labour parliamentarian Peeni Henare said New Zealand had a history of standing strong on its principles and values and in this case 'was being left behind'.
Sky News
13 minutes ago
- Sky News
Facial recognition vans to be rolled out across police forces in England
The police's use of facial recognition technology is to be significantly expanded in an attempt to catch more offenders, ministers have announced. Under the plans, 10 live facial recognition (LFR) vans will be used by seven forces across England to help identify "sex offenders or people wanted for the most serious crimes", according to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. The tech, which has been trialled in London and south Wales, will be subject to strict rules, the Home Office said, but human rights groups have warned it is "dangerous and discriminatory". Amnesty International UK said the plans should be "immediately scrapped", with facial recognition proven to be "discriminatory against communities of colour". "It has been known to lead to misidentification and the risk of wrongful arrest," said Alba Kapoor, the charity's racial justice lead, "and it's also known to be less accurate in scanning the faces of people of colour." The Home Office said the LFR vans will only be deployed when there is "specific intelligence", and will be operated by trained officers who will check every match made by the cameras. The vehicles will also only be used against bespoke watch lists, compiled for each use under guidelines set by the College of Policing. The vans will be operated by police forces in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly), and Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly). 'The most serious offenders' Ms Cooper has said ministers are focused on making sure "there are proper safeguards in place". As part of the plans, the home secretary has announced she will be launching a consultation on how and when the cameras should be used, and with what safeguards, which the government will use to draw up a new legal framework for the use of the cameras. Ms Cooper said the tech had been used in London and South Wales "in a targeted way", and helped catch "the most serious offenders, including people wanted for violent assaults or for sex offences". According to the Metropolitan Police, the tech has led to 580 arrests for offences such as rape, domestic crime and knife crime in the space of 12 months. The government has pointed to independent testing by the National Physical Laboratory, which it said found the tech was "accurate" and showed "no bias for ethnicity, age, or gender". Liberty has welcomed the government's decision to create a statutory framework for using facial recognition, but said that should be in place before the tech is rolled out. "There's no reasonable excuse to be putting even more cameras on our streets before the public have had their say and legislation is brought in to protect all of us," said a statement. The civil liberties charity cited how more than 1.6 million people have had their faces scanned in South Wales, mostly on football match days in Cardiff city centre. But Lindsey Chiswick, from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), has said the expansion "is an excellent opportunity for policing", and will help officers locate suspects "quickly and accurately".
Leader Live
20 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Police seize supercars worth £6m in anti-social driving crackdown
Seventy-two luxury vehicles, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys, were taken off the streets last weekend in an operation targeting nuisance driving in London's West End. The Metropolitan Police said the cars were either unroadworthy or being driven illegally. The operation was launched following complaints from residents, businesses and visitors about high-value cars causing disruption in and around Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea. Officers worked with the Motor Insurers' Bureau to issue tickets for a range of offences including driving with no insurance, no licence, disqualification, false documentation and fraudulent number plates. Several stolen vehicles were recovered, with 10 others found to have no valid MoT and 11 without road tax. Eight people were arrested for offences including actual bodily harm (ABH), criminal damage, drug offences, theft and immigration breaches. Those arrested include a 22-year-old man from Hammersmith, held for ABH and criminal damage, who was remanded in custody. Another man, aged 25 and from London, was charged with possession of a class B drug. A 27-year-old man from Watford was arrested for theft of a motor vehicle and released under investigation. A 23-year-old man from Twickenham was remanded after being arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without insurance or a licence, and drug-driving. Three men, aged 26, 35 and 39, and a 23-year-old woman, all from London, were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences. Special Chief Officer James Deller said the operation responded to concerns over 'high-value vehicles causing a nuisance in known hotspot areas in central and west London'. He added: 'The Met has already reduced neighbourhood crime by 19% over recent months and we're addressing anti-social behaviour caused by uninsured drivers. 'This has been a great opportunity to work with the Motor Insurers' Bureau and for officers to speak with members of the public about the work we do, educate drivers and enforce the law.'
