Demonstrators maintain placards throughout a protest in help of the Palestinian Folks in Gaza, in Parliament Sq., in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Alberto Pezzali/AP
disguise caption
toggle caption
Alberto Pezzali/AP
LONDON — London police mentioned Sunday that 532 folks had been arrested the day gone by when supporters of a pro-Palestinian group just lately outlawed as a terrorist group deliberately broke the legislation to check the federal government’s potential to implement the ban.
The Metropolitan Police Service launched the up to date figures as protestors demanding the speedy launch of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza held their very own march by means of central London on Sunday afternoon.
The overwhelming majority of these detained on Saturday had been arrested for displaying placards declaring their help for the group often called Palestine Motion. Police up to date their earlier totals and mentioned 522 folks had been arrested for supporting a proscribed group in violation of anti-terror legal guidelines. One other 10 folks had been arrested on quite a lot of expenses, together with assaulting and obstructing law enforcement officials.
Backers of Palestine Motion staged the protest to underscore their perception that the federal government is illegally limiting freedom of expression by banning a direct motion group that has challenged its insurance policies.
House Secretary Yvette Cooper, who oversees legislation enforcement in Britain, rejected that characterization, saying Palestine Motion was banned after committing severe assaults involving violence, vital accidents and in depth legal injury.
“The proper to protest is one we defend fiercely however that is very totally different from displaying help for this one particular and slim, proscribed group,” Cooper mentioned in a press release. “Many individuals could not but know the truth of this group, however the assessments are very clear, this isn’t a nonviolent group,” she added.
Cops arrest a demonstrator throughout a protest in help of the Palestinian Folks in Gaza, in Parliament Sq., in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Alberto Pezzali/AP
disguise caption
toggle caption
Alberto Pezzali/AP
Police launched up to date data on the Palestine Motion protest after the entrance pages of Sunday newspapers featured pictures of aged protesters being carted off by officers.
A type of was La Pethick, an 89-year-old retired psychotherapist, who advised the Occasions of London that she had the help of her 5 grandchildren. “We’re having our proper to peaceable protest being taken away,” she mentioned.
Virtually half of these arrested had been over the age of 60, based on figures launched by the Met.
Police mentioned the method of deciding whether or not to file expenses towards these arrested is more likely to take weeks as officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command put collectively case recordsdata and search approval from prosecutors, and in some circumstances the lawyer basic.
Parliament voted to ban Palestine Motion after activists broke right into a Royal Air Drive base and broken two tanker planes to protest British help for the warfare in Gaza. Palestine Motion had beforehand focused Israeli protection contractors and different websites in Britain that they imagine have hyperlinks with the Israeli navy.
Supporters of Palestine Motion are difficult the ban in courtroom, arguing that the federal government has violated human rights legal guidelines by in declaring the group a terrorist group.
