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A large-scale demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action in London on Saturday resulted in a total of 532 arrests, marking a significant increase in police interventions. The Metropolitan Police reported that the majority of the arrests – 521 in total – were made for individuals displaying placards endorsing Palestine Action at Westminster’s Parliament Square, with another arrest taking place at a Palestine Coalition march. Additionally, six individuals were arrested for assaulting police officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one for obstructing a constable, and one for a racially aggravated public order offense.
This demonstration, which witnessed the largest number of arrests on a single day by the Metropolitan Police in the last decade, comes in the wake of the government’s decision to outlaw Palestine Action in July under the Terrorism Act. Membership or backing of the group is now considered a criminal offense, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. At present, the force is focusing on compiling charges against those accused of supporting Palestine Action, with the aim of initiating legal proceedings against them.
Despite the heightened legal actions taken against the protesters, the average age of those arrested has been identified as 54, with the largest demographic consisting of individuals aged between 60 and 69, accounting for 147 of the arrests. Following temporary processing, those protesters whose details were confirmed were released on bail with a condition not to participate in future demonstrations linked to Palestine Action. However, 212 protesters who either declined to provide their personal information or were discovered to be in breach of existing bail conditions were taken into custody.
As the process of scrutinizing the arrested individuals continues, security analyst Lizzie Dearden remarked on the unprecedented application of the laws under which the protesters were detained. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commended the police for their handling of the situation, emphasizing that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was based on compelling security concerns arising from the group’s past actions and anticipated future attacks. Conversely, Amnesty International’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh expressed serious reservations about the extensive arrests, characterizing them as a worrisome infringement on freedom of expression and underscoring the ambiguity of UK terrorism legislation
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