Palestine Action protesters arrested after group BANNED as terrorist organisation

Multiple people appear to have been arrested at an originally-silentPalestine Action proteston Parliament Square.

A mass of Metropolitan Police circled around dozens of protesters standing quietly beneath the statue of Mahatma Ghandi, with placards that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. Occasional chants of “free Palestine” broke out from the surrounding onlookers, and some criticised the police attending. The protest started at about 1.10pm and officers were seen taking people away shortly after 1.30pm.

An elderly woman in a dog collar, who was sat in a camp chair with one of the placards at her feet, appeared to be taken away by officers. Another person was seen lying on the floor in handcuffs as police gathered over her.

READ MORE: Ex-Asda manager jailed as judge warns 'you knew exactly what you were doing'

READ MORE: Met Office urgently asks UK households to follow 11am 'rule' this week

Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist group after a late-night legal bid to delay it failed. MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the protest group under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Wednesday and Lords have approved the move.

But a group gathered in Parliament Square in London today holding signs supporting the newly proscribed Palestine Action. Police arresting protesters in Parliament Square were met with cries of “Met Police you are puppets of the Zionist state” and “leave them alone”.

Another supporter, not directly involved in the Palestine Action protest, shouted: “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” One cried: “British police off our streets” There were further chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

A woman seen lying on the floor in handcuffs was carried away in the air by officers and put in a police van. While suspended and flanked by a large group of police, she said calmly: “Free Palestine, stop the genocide, I oppose genocide, I support the rights of the Palestinian people, I support freedom of speech, I support freedom of assembly”.

A mass of people crowded around to film the scene. Officers placed her in the vehicle parked on the road behind the square before returning to the Mahatma Ghandi statue, where almost no protesters remained.

Chants of “shame” broke out, directed at the police, and officers moved behind the Ghandi statue. Most of the police dispersed at around 2.10pm.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed arrests at the protest after a ban on the group came into force on Saturday. The designation as a terror group means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The force posted on X saying officers are responding to the protest in Parliament Square. It states: “Officers are responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence. Arrests are being made. Further updates will be shared here.”

Leslie Tate, 76, a Green councillor from Hertfordshire, said: “Palestine Action are not a violent organisation, and the proscription is wrong. You do know, of course, that they were prescribed by Parliament with two other groups involved – all three at once so that was a trick to make sure the Bill went through.

“The evidence from their actions that they’ve taken from the start of Palestine Action is that they all have been non-violent. This protest is necessary to defend our democracy, and this is the creeping edge of totalitarianism, frankly.

“We thought they (the police) would probably take pictures of people. It’s the obvious thing to do, to photograph them, then they have their identity, rather than make arrests.”