Protesters held a demonstration this afternoon in Parliament Square, in Westminster, in support of a declared terrorist organization.
The Metropolitan Police stated that some of the protesters were physically and verbally aggressive, in a "coordinated attempt to prevent officers from carrying out their duties", adding that some of the arrests were made for assaulting police.
A man was seen being led away by police as the crowd in Parliament Square chanted "shame on you" and "you are supporting genocide."
The Metropolitan Police announced the first arrests of the day on platform X just 12 minutes after the protest officially started.
In another update on X, police said that pro-Palestinian protesters passed by a counter-protest and that officers were deployed to keep the two groups separate.
The march reached Whitehall at around 2pm, where speeches are being held. Police have said the demonstration "should" end by 5.30pm.
The Metropolitan Police warned before the protest began: “Expressing support for a designated terrorist organisation is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act.”
The protest organizer, Defend Our Juries, said it estimated that about 1,500 people gathered for the rally, with many holding signs reading: "I am against genocide. I support Palestine Action."
Palestine Action has been declared a terrorist organization since July 5, after MPs voted overwhelmingly to ban it, making any expression of support for the group illegal.
More than 530 people were arrested at the recent major demonstration against the banning of Palestine Action as a terrorist group. However, the Metropolitan Police used “street bail” to avoid holding all those detained in police stations.
“Street bail” allows officers to release suspects with a notice to report to the police station at a later date, without immediately escorting them to police premises.
Organizers encouraged protesters not to accept "street bail," writing in a preliminary document:
“It will not be practically possible for the police to arrest 1,000 non-cooperative people on the same day, and that is the strategic reason for non-cooperation. This increases the pressure on the state.”
In a reaction to this guidance, a Metropolitan Police spokesman told Sky News that the action would be "wrong".
The banning of the Palestine Action group came shortly after the damage to two Voyager military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire on June 20, damage estimated at around £7 million.
This ban will face a legal challenge in November, after the Supreme Court accepted a full judicial review, requested by Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.
