LONDON: More than 70 people were arrested Saturday at protests in the UK against the Palestine Action group being proscribed a terrorist organization by the British government following a break-in and vandalism at a Royal Air Force base.

In London, the Metropolitan Police arrested 42 people during a protest in Parliament Square. All but one of the arrests were for showing support for a proscribed organization, which police have said includes chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos. Another person was arrested for common assault.

Sixteen more arrests were made in Manchester, according to Greater Manchester Police, while South Wales Police said 13 people were also held in Cardiff.

The protests marked the second consecutive weekend of arrests over alleged references to the proscribed organization. Its outlawing has meant support for the organization is deemed a criminal offense. Police arrested 29 people at a similar protest last weekend.

The demonstration was part of a coordinated campaign by the group Defend Our Juries, which held simultaneous actions in other UK cities including Manchester, Cardiff, and Derry.
 

Defend Our Juries said on X: “Over 300 police officers have been seen to carry away dozens of people from the foot of statues of Nelson Mandela and Gandhi for alleged ‘terrorism offences’. Those arrested are accused of holding signs in support of Palestine Action.”

Officers were seen cordoning off demonstrators, searching their bags, inspecting ID cards, and seizing signs. Some protesters lay atop one another as police moved in to confiscate their placards. The demonstrators’ signs reportedly included messages such as: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” 

The protest comes days after the UK government’s controversial decision to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act.

The move followed an incident in which activists allegedly broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint.

The ban was announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in late June and formally approved by MPs last Wednesday.

The House of Lords backed the decision without a vote the following day. It marks the first time a direct action protest group has been proscribed under terrorism legislation in the UK, placing Palestine Action in the same legal category as Hamas, al-Qaeda, and Islamic State.

Under the new law, supporting or promoting the group now carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Palestine Action is known for its campaigns targeting Israeli and Israeli-linked businesses in Britain, particularly defense firm Elbit Systems.

Its protests have included blocking entrances, damaging property, and spraying buildings with red paint to symbolise blood.

Critics of the ban say the government is conflating protest with terrorism and suppressing legitimate dissent.

In a failed legal challenge to the proscription, a lawyer for Palestine Action argued the government’s move marked “the first time Britain had proscribed a group which undertook this type of direct action.”

UN experts, human rights organisations, cultural figures, and hundreds of lawyers have also voiced alarm over the decision, warning it sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing civil disobedience.

Saturday’s demonstration echoed scenes from the previous weekend, when 29 protesters, including 83-year-old former priest Rev Sue Parfitt, were arrested at a similar gathering in Parliament Square.

In Manchester, police also made arrests at a protest in support of Palestine Action, while peaceful demonstrations took place in Cardiff and Derry.

The controversy surrounding Palestine Action’s ban comes amid heightened tensions over the war in Gaza, where the International Court of Justice in The Hague is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians. Israel denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

( With Agencies )