Met police arrest activists holding signs referring to Palestine Action
The direct action protest group was banned on Friday after a last-minute legal attempt to suspend the group's proscription under anti-terrorism laws failed. It means that, from Saturday, being a member of, or expressing support for, the organisation became a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstration, said 'a priest, an emeritus professor and a number of health professionals' were among those arrested.
More than two dozen people gathered close to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, holding signs that appeared to express support for the group.
At about 1.40pm, Metropolitan police officers began arresting people who were holding the signs.
In a statement on X, the Met said: 'Officers have arrested more than 20 people on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. They have been taken into custody. Palestine Action is a proscribed group and officers will act where criminal offences are committed.'
The force posted another update on X on Saturday evening to say 29 arrests had been made and added that those arrested remain in custody.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: 'We commend the counter-terrorism police for their decisive action in protecting the people of London from some cardboard signs opposing the genocide in Gaza and expressing support for those taking action to prevent it. It's a relief to know that counter-terrorism police have nothing better to do.'
On Friday, the group wrote to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, to give him advance warning of the demonstration.
Before officers made arrests, the Guardian spoke to some of the demonstrators.
Tim Crosland, of Defend Our Juries, said: 'What we're doing here as a group of priests, teachers, health workers, human rights lawyers [is] we're refusing to be silenced. Because it goes to the core of what we believe in: that we oppose genocide – I didn't think that was that controversial – and we support the people who resist genocide.
'In theory we are now terrorist supporters and can go to prison for 14 years, which is kind of crazy. I think what we are here to do is just expose the craziness of that.'
An environmental campaigner, Donnachadh McCarthy, said: 'To proscribe an organisation of peaceful direct action as terrorists is a huge red line for our democracy. It means that all the rest of us, whether we're climate activists, Greenpeace, women's suffragettes, disabled activists, it means that the government can now declare any act of property damage to be terrorism, which gives you a sentence of 14 years.
'This is worse than Putin's Russia. I don't say that lightly. It's 10 years for doing what we're doing today in Russia; it's 14 years in the UK, because of Yvette Cooper's outrageous betrayal of democracy, liberalism, and what is in my view a step towards fascism.'
A retired priest, Sue Parfitt, 83, said the group's ban was 'a very dangerous move that has to be challenged'.
'We are losing our civil liberties, we must stop that for everybody's sake. Whatever you want to protest about,' she said.
Cooper, the home secretary, announced plans to ban Palestine Action late last month, days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint.
MPs voted in favour of proscribing the group on Wednesday. The House of Lords backed the move without a vote on Thursday.
UN experts, civil liberties groups, cultural figures and hundreds of lawyers have condemned the ban as draconian and said it sets a dangerous precedent by conflating protest with terrorism.
The ban means Palestine Action has become the first direct action protest group to be banned under the Terrorism Act, placing it in the same category as Islamic State, al-Qaida and the far-right group National Action.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
6 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Man, 24, arrested after exhibition honouring Windrush generation vandalised
Officers were called to reports of vandalism at Windrush Square at 6.09am on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said. Portraits featuring in an exhibition were damaged. A 24-year-old man was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of vandalism, the force said. He was taken to a police station where he remains in custody. Based on investigations carried out so far, the incident is not being treated as a hate crime, the Met said, adding that further enquiries will take place to establish the circumstances. Superintendent Gabriel Cameron, who leads policing in Brixton, said: 'We understand that those in the community will feel distressed about vandalism to the Windrush exhibition in Brixton. 'We believe that this was not a hate crime, and I want to reassure anyone with concerns, that a man has now been arrested. 'Local neighbourhood officers have been in contact with the organiser of the exhibition, and remain in the area to respond to any questions or worries that people may have.'
Rhyl Journal
6 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Man, 24, arrested after exhibition honouring Windrush generation vandalised
Officers were called to reports of vandalism at Windrush Square at 6.09am on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said. Portraits featuring in an exhibition were damaged. A 24-year-old man was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of vandalism, the force said. He was taken to a police station where he remains in custody. Based on investigations carried out so far, the incident is not being treated as a hate crime, the Met said, adding that further enquiries will take place to establish the circumstances. Superintendent Gabriel Cameron, who leads policing in Brixton, said: 'We understand that those in the community will feel distressed about vandalism to the Windrush exhibition in Brixton. 'We believe that this was not a hate crime, and I want to reassure anyone with concerns, that a man has now been arrested. 'Local neighbourhood officers have been in contact with the organiser of the exhibition, and remain in the area to respond to any questions or worries that people may have.'
Telegraph
10 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Phillipson sparks row over two-child benefit cap
Bridget Phillipson has sparked a fresh Labour row over the two-child benefit cap. The Education Secretary faced a backlash after declaring that the Government's benefits climbdown last week would make it harder to abolish the two-child limit. But Labour MPs who led the welfare revolt and Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir Starmer's predecessor, issued fresh calls on Sunday to abolish the 'cruel and immoral' policy. The backbench rebellion on welfare forced Sir Keir to tear up his plans to reform disability benefits, wiping out an estimated £5 billion in savings. Ms Phillipson insisted there was now less scope to abandon the two-child cap, which restricts child tax credit and Universal Credit to two children in most households. She told Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: 'It does come at a cost, and that's why, in keeping with our fiscal rules, we do need to make sure that we have a strong foundation for the economy. 'We make sure we get this right. These ultimately will be matters that the Chancellor has to consider right across the board.' Pressed on whether the chances of the cap being lifted were lower because there was now less money, Ms Phillipson said: 'The decisions that have been taken this last week do make future decisions harder. 'But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty.' Sir Keir endured the biggest rebellion of his premiership to date last Tuesday as 49 Labour MPs voted against his welfare Bill despite a string of major last-minute concessions. Out of those rebels, more than one third have also signalled their opposition to the two-child benefit cap since Labour took power. Mr Corbyn currently sits as an independent MP but last week announced his involvement in a new hard-Left party alongside Zarah Sultana, a fellow independent, which fight Labour nationally. Responding to Ms Phillipson's remarks, Mr Corbyn told The Telegraph: 'The two child benefit cap is cruel and immoral. The government should have scrapped this cap the minute it was elected. 'For it to double-down now one year later, all because it couldn't take enough support away from disabled people, is disgraceful. 'Keeping children in poverty is not a tough choice – it's the wrong choice.' The two Labour backbench MPs who masterminded the welfare rebellion also called on the Prime Minister to change course and scrap the cap. Rachael Maskell, who tabled an amendment backed by dozens of Labour MPs that sought to kill the Bill altogether, said it was 'crucial' that no child was denied opportunity. 'It's got to be an absolute focus of this government to lift as many children out of poverty as possible,' Ms Maskell said. 'Slowing the pace of that ambition is not acceptable and therefore starting by ending the two-child limit, as well as the benefit cap, is really important. 'It's absolutely crucial that the government does not waver on this issue, that it finds the expectation of what a Labour Government should do and finds the resource to be able to deliver that.' Neil Duncan-Jordan, whose open letter denouncing the cuts was signed by 42 Labour MPs back in May, told Sir Keir to make child poverty a key priority during his second year in power. He told The Telegraph: 'Whilst not the only lever to pull, lifting the two-child benefit cap is widely acknowledged as the quickest way to lift the largest number of children out of poverty. 'It doesn't fix the problem, but it is an essential part of what needs to happen if we are serious about tackling child poverty.' Clive Lewis, the Labour MP for Norwich South, added that 'of course' the limit should be scrapped. He said: 'If this Labour Government is to rebuild the country, it must start with the scourge of poverty – in all its forms. There can be no credible definition of success that does not include its eradication as a central goal.' Jon Trickett, another prominent Left-wing Labour MP, added: 'It is wrong to keep children in poverty because we are protecting disability benefits. Dividing the poor against each other whilst protecting wealth is entirely wrong.' John McDonnell, who was Mr Corbyn's shadow chancellor and has also been stripped of the Labour whip, condemned briefings over the weekend which suggested that plans to scrap the cap were 'dead in the water'. 'The idea that scrapping the two-child limit is to be some sort of punishment beating of the PLP for voting against disability benefit cuts is disgusting,' he wrote on X. The Child Poverty Action Group has said the number of children in poverty will jump from 4.5 million currently to 4.8 million by 2029 unless Sir Keir takes action. While the two-child limit applies across the UK, the Scottish government confirmed it will provide funding to essentially scrap the policy north of the border from March 2026.
