Hundreds arrested in police crackdown at London rally against Palestine Action terror ban
Demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster on Saturday to silently hold up signs, which read: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.'
Within minutes of the protest starting at 1pm, rows of police officers filed into the square and started handcuffing protesters.
With limited space in police cells, many of the activists were not taken into custody but released after their arrest and allowed to go home, with bail conditions not to attend any further protests in support of Palestine Action. By 3.40pm, police had made 200 arrests 'with more to follow'.
The Metropolitan Police brought in scores of officers from other forces to help with a busy weekend of protests. Around 15,000 people were estimated to have taken part in a separate Palestine solidarity march through London, to highlight the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
Organisers of the action in Parliament Square claimed that between 600 and 700 people took part in the demonstration against the terror ban. However the police disputed this saying that around 500 to 600 people were in the square at 1pm, but many were 'onlookers, media people or people not holding placards in support of Palestine Action'.
A spokesperson for the force said they were confident everyone holding a placard support Palestine Action 'was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested'.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper decided to proscribe the group Palestine Action after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two military planes with red paint.
Huda Ammori, the co-founder of the group, has been allowed to challenge the government's decision to ban the organisation under anti-terrorism laws, with a court case due to be heard in November.
Campaigners from Defend Our Juries, who co-ordinated Saturday's action, have pledged monthly protests against the ban until the High Court case is heard.
As a result of Palestine Action's proscription, it is an offence to hold up a sign or wear a t-shirt in support of the group under section 13 of the Terrorism Act.
The first arrests were near the statues of feminist campaigner Millicent Fawcett and the Indian non-violent activist Mahatma Gandhi.
Onlookers applauded the protesters and shouted 'shame on you' at the police making the arrests.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The home secretary has been clear that the proscription of Palestine Action is not about Palestine, nor does it affect the freedom to protest on Palestinian rights.
"It only applies to the specific and narrow organisation whose activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across the country who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to protest on different issues.'
Separately, thousands of people joined a pro-Palestine solidarity March in London to highlight the worsening crisis in Gaza.
Marchers chanted 'Gaza must have food and water, no more killing, no more slaughter' and 'free Palestine' as they made their way from Russel Square to Westminster.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
P&O cruise evacuated after man claims he had an ‘explosive device'
A P&O cruise ship was forced to evacuate after reports of a man 'claiming to be in possession of an explosive device.' Police were called at around 11.46am on Saturday, 9 August, to the Mayflower Cruise Ferry terminal in Southampton, Hampshire Police told People. Police erected a cordon around the 291m-long Ventura cruise ship to allow for specialist officers to search a lorry at the location. A man was later arrested on suspicion of communicating false information and a public order offence, ITV News reported. After searches concluded and no devices were found, Hampshire Police said: 'We are satisfied that there is no risk to the public and the cordon will now be lifted." One passenger, Andy Palmer, said he was already onboard the ship when he saw one man being arrested. He told the Mirror that he had just boarded Ventura and was enjoying "some lunch and a drink" when he saw below "a guy being dragged out of his car by six armed policemen". Mr Palmer said passengers were told to go to their muster points, with staff also "turning people away" from the vessel, while "a couple of thousand" were waiting to embark. The passenger said that there were people 'panicking' in a Facebook group set up for the cruise, which is due to make stops in Portugal, the Canary Islands and mainland Spain on a 14-day round trip. Before setting sail, Mr Palmer said it was 'all a bit of a worry for people that have come a long way and paid a lot of money." However, the incident ultimately did not hinder Ventura from departing from Southampton on Saturday. The over 3,000-capacity cruise is due to arrive in Funchal, Madeira on Wednesday. A P&O Cruises spokesperson confirmed that passengers were evacuated from Ventura. 'Due to a police incident and in an abundance of caution, we made the decision to evacuate Ventura and the passenger terminal on Saturday, August 9th,' they told The Independent. 'The incident was quickly resolved and normal embarkation operations resumed. 'The safety of our guests, crew and port staff is our highest priority and we are grateful for the co-operation of the authorities, as well as everyone's patience whilst the precautionary measures were in place. 'Ventura is continuing its itinerary as planned,' they added. A spokesperson for Associated British Ports, who run the Southampton terminal, said in a statement to The Independent: 'We are aware of a security incident that occurred at the Port on Saturday, 9 August. 'Police attended the scene and have since stood down. 'Normal operations at the Port have resumed. We will support any ongoing enquiries by the relevant authorities."
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Palestine Action supporters ‘will feel full force of law', justice minister says
Supporters of the banned group Palestine Action will 'feel the full force of the law', a justice minister said, as police work to secure charges following hundreds of arrests at a demonstration in London over the weekend. The protest was held at Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would detain anyone expressing support for Palestine Action. The force confirmed on Sunday that 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, out of the total 532 arrests made during the policing operation. Over the coming weeks, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together case files and secure charges against those arrested, the force added. Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Breakfast on Monday: 'I want to thank the police for their bravery and their courage in carrying out their diligent duties in the line of public protection, and I want to state that the right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy, and of course, we respect that. 'But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful. 'They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft. 'We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom, and there are other reasons, which we can't disclose because of national security. 'But they are a prescribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law.' The Met said they were aware of online photos and footage suggesting some people returned to Parliament Square after being released on bail, adding it would be 'entirely unrealistic' for officers to recognise these individuals. One of the bail conditions was not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action, police said. 'Given the numbers of people arrested (on Saturday) it would have been entirely unrealistic for officers to recognise individuals who returned to the area,' a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said. 'Their focus was rightly on those continuing to commit offences who were still to be arrested. 'We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square re-joined the protesters who were holding placards.' Securing a charge for an offence under the Terrorism Act will, in some instances, require approval by both the Crown Prosecution Service and Attorney General Lord Hermer, police said. The majority of those arrested, 348, were aged 50 or over, according to a breakdown published by the Met on Sunday. Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area. Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. There were a further 10 arrests, six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, and one for a racially aggravated public order offence, the force said. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences against Section 13 of the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action. The three people charged were arrested at a protest in Parliament Square on July 5. 'A further 26 case files relating to arrests on the same day are due to be submitted to the CPS imminently, with more to follow in relation to later protests,' a spokesperson for the Met added.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Harvey Willgoose mother says son's murderer needs to be ‘made an example of'
The mother of Harvey Willgoose has said she feels sorry for the teenager who stabbed her son to death at their school, saying she believes he was 'let down', like her son. But Caroline Willgoose said she also believes the 15-year-old – who was found guilty last week of murdering Harvey, also 15, with a hunting knife at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield – needs to be 'made an example of' when he is sentenced in October. Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Monday, Mrs Willgoose was asked by Richard Madeley: 'What are your thoughts about the boy who did this?' She said: 'I feel sorry for him. Because I think he's been let down. I think Harvey's been let down. 'This shouldn't have happened. There were so many red flags. 'They must have known what he was like when his mum said that he'd took an axe in to school.' Madeley asked Mrs Willgoose what she believed the sentence should be when the defendant returns to Sheffield Crown Court on October 22. She said: 'I think he's got to be made an example of.' And she said she believe the judge should lift the order which guarantees the perpetrator's anonymity, due to his age. Harvey's sister Sophie said of the killer: 'He's a 15-year-old boy. We'd like to think that he didn't want to murder Harvey. 'He's just from a troubled background and services have let him down.' She described the trauma of the six-week long trial and how watching the CCTV of her brother being stabbed will 'haunt me forever'. The women said they are campaigning for knife arches to be installed in all secondary schools and colleges. Caroline Willgoose said: 'I know it goes a lot deeper than that. But, let's start somewhere, and then go into schools and educate children of the devastation, the pure devastation, of what this has caused.' Mrs Willgoose believes her son's death could have been prevented, especially after the killer's mother reported him having an axe. The jury in the trial also heard how the school's assistant head asked the defendant if he had anything on him which he should not hours before the murder, and the boy said he did not. Mrs Willgoose said last week: 'If you have a reason to ask that child, you've got a reason to search that child.' Asked about knife crime and the Willgooses' campaign on the same ITV programme, justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said: 'It is something that terrifies me. 'I don't think anyone could have heard the testimony of Caroline and Sophie and not be moved.' Ms Davies-Jones said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is looking at the family's proposals on knife arches. She said she was 'really keen' to examine the family's experience of the criminal justice system. Steve Davies, chief executive of St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said on Friday: 'We think especially of Harvey's family, loved ones and friends today. We cannot begin to imagine the immeasurable impact the loss of Harvey has had on them. 'Harvey was a much-loved, positive and outgoing pupil whose memory will be cherished by all who knew him. As a community we have been devastated by his death and we continue to think of him every day. 'Harvey's death was an unimaginable tragedy for all, and one that understandably gives rise to a number of questions from his family and others. 'Now that the trial has finished, a number of investigations aimed at addressing and answering these questions will be able to proceed. We will engage fully and openly with them to help ensure every angle is considered and no key questions are left unresolved.'
