logo
Total number of Palestine Action support arrests rises to 522

Total number of Palestine Action support arrests rises to 522

Independent4 days ago
The number of people arrested for supporting banned group Palestine Action at a protest in central London has risen to more than 520.
Only 18 of those people remained in custody on Sunday afternoon but were expected to be released on bail 'in the coming hours', the Metropolitan Police said.
Hundreds attended the demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the force warning it would arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
The Met 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 form up of the Palestine Coalition march in Russell Square, with the remaining 521 arrests at the protest in Parliament Square.
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, the force said.
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.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Spanish people know deadly heatwaves are now an annual event. So why are our politicians in denial?
Spanish people know deadly heatwaves are now an annual event. So why are our politicians in denial?

The Guardian

time17 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Spanish people know deadly heatwaves are now an annual event. So why are our politicians in denial?

Growing up in Madrid, intense summer heat was nothing unusual. I quickly learned always to cross the street in search of shade, and never to be caught out in the sun at 3pm. But as a child in the early 1980s, I never felt dizzy after spending more than a few minutes outdoors, nor did I struggle to study or sleep at home because of the heat. Back then, air conditioning was a rarity, something only Americans had. But we were fine: the stuttering fan in my mother's Ford Fiesta was enough to keep us comfortable on holiday escapes from the capital. What is happening in Spain now goes far beyond discomfort. More than 1,500 deaths have already been linked to heatwaves this summer alone. Public-sector workers are collapsing from heatstroke on our city streets. Entire communities in the Madrid suburbs have been devastated by wildfires. On Monday, 198 weather stations recorded temperatures of 40C or higher. Following a record-breaking July, the first 20 days of August will probably be the warmest on record. Alongside housing, the climate crisis is Spain's most visible and most persistent problem: every summer reminds us of this. You can't ignore it, or escape it; so why are Spain's politicians still so reluctant to tackle the climate emergency? Fighting global heating is a worldwide challenge, but protecting populations against the consequences – with an awareness that Europe is heating faster than other continents – must also be a national and a local priority. Within Spain, the climate crisis too often becomes an excuse for superficial, party-political feuds. In the population at large, there has been years of broad popular consensus, but contrast that with Spain's politicians, for whom the issue has become increasingly partisan, with the right and the left fighting over totemic policies about cars and bikes. Even Spain's centre-left coalition government, led by Pedro Sánchez's Spanish Socialist Workers' party (PSOE), has taken only modest steps to reduce emissions from industry and transport. And as they do on other issues, the socialists rush to point the finger at regional and local governments run by the conservative People's party (PP), supported in some cases by the far-right Vox, which has pushed falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the climate crisis. It is true that Spain's regional and local governments, powerful and well funded, also bear great responsibility: for protecting the most vulnerable from extreme heat, adapting public spaces, planting trees and ensuring there is sufficient shade and water fountains. One urgent necessity is the creation of 'cool banks', especially for people in overcrowded and overheated homes, those with health vulnerabilities, the very young and the very old. Valencia has a network of these climate shelters, while Barcelona has mapped out hundreds of public spaces where people can escape the heat, from libraries to museums. But too many local governments are still failing to provide respite. Madrid is among the worst offenders. Public cooling centres are almost nonexistent, and shopping centres remain the most common refuge. The capital's conservative regional and local governments have been passive or even hostile towards public demands to reduce dangerous heat levels in neighbourhoods, with too few green spaces and too many cars. When Madrid's city hall does spend money, it often misses the point: the most absurd example is Puerta del Sol, the central square that after months of renovation work still feels like a concrete frying pan all summer. Only after protests did the city council finally install a few flimsy shades, at a cost of €1.5m. For those Madrileños who have the option, the traditional way to make August bearable has been to escape the city for the coast. My childhood memories of cooler summers visiting grandparents in northern Spain feel very distant now. The north still enjoys bearable nights and some rain in the summer, but heatwaves have become more frequent there too. The change is fast and visible, even in daily life. This year in the Basque country, beach bathing has been repeatedly banned because of the portuguese man o'war, a creature resembling a jellyfish, but one that is much more toxic and dangerous. Once confined to warmer Atlantic waters, it has only begun appearing here in recent years. On a recent walk along San Sebastián's beach, I spotted dozens, fortunately tiny, each circled in the sand to warn passersby. More medical resources and surveillance are now being devoted to this new threat – another example of the small everyday adaptations we are having to make. The most dramatic consequences of the climate crisis make headlines around the world: the tragic deaths of workers in vulnerable jobs, picking fruit or cleaning streets, and wildfires killing people, destroying homes and even a Roman-era mining site – now a burned-out Unesco world heritage site. But across Spain, the signs are everywhere: crops ruined by hail, high-speed trains disrupted, and neighbourhoods baking in the heat. This is the new reality we are living with. It has become a regular fixture in our calendars. A journalist colleague of mine observed earlier this year that the most important annual climate event for the media is not Cop, it's the summer. It was February in the northern hemisphere, and he was already preparing their annual heatwave coverage. My newsroom in Madrid does the same, with ever more sophisticated data and analysis. The frustrating question is why our politicians are still shrugging off this reality, as though it were just an inconvenience. How many broken records and how many heatwave deaths will it take to change this? María Ramírez is a journalist and the deputy managing editor of a news outlet in Spain

Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty dons 'Palestine Action' top at Fringe
Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty dons 'Palestine Action' top at Fringe

The National

time42 minutes ago

  • The National

Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty dons 'Palestine Action' top at Fringe

Paul Laverty, who has written some of director Ken Loach's most famous films including The Wind That Shakes the Barley and I, Daniel Blake, donned a top with the words 'Genocide in Palestine, time to take action' emblazoned on the chest. The design is such that at a glance, the slogan could be taken to read 'Palestine Action'. Wearing clothing with the group's branding or name can result in a six month prison sentence under terror laws. Palestine Action were proscribed under the Terrorism Act in an unprecedented step against a protest group earlier this year after vandalising RAF planes. The screenwriter, who grew up in Wigtown, wore the T-shirt at an "In Conversation" event in Edinburgh on Wednesday. Writing in The National, Laverty said: 'All the palaver over a black T-shirt with the words 'Genocide in Gaza, time to Take Action': it's truly mind-boggling that hundreds may have been arrested, and some face terrorism charges for wearing this shirt.' Accusing UK Government ministers of having 'colluded with genocide', Laverty said: 'No doubt they will have teams of legal experts to argue otherwise. READ MORE: David Lammy broke law while fishing with JD Vance 'But in the court of public opinion who will ever forget Starmer's very first interview justifying the cutting off food and water to the entire population of Gaza? Who will forget Foreign Secretary Lammy at the dispatch box denying that Genocide was happening in Gaza, and Starmer too. 'It is vital to remember that the Labour Government did not revoke arms licences to Israel until September of 2024, long after tens of thousands of innocents had been bombed.' He added: 'Nothing this UK Government does, even with their revocation of arms licences, impinges on the genocide machine as it continues to murder the starving. Critically, there is no mention of support for the Boycott and Divestment Campaign which could make a difference. 'And shamefully, not one UK Cabinet member can say seven simple words: 'Genocide in Gaza, time to Take Action'. 'One day, when it all comes out, as it will, we will look back in horror and ask how it all unfolded. Western collusion will haunt us.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store