In reversal, UK police say they’ll return to arresting supporters of Palestine Action

The UK’s Metropolitan Police announces that it will return to arresting anyone who expresses support for the Palestine Action group, after softening that policy when a ban on the group was struck down in court.

An interim policy put in place last month said that “officers would identify and gather evidence of offenses,” but “arrests would be unlikely,” according to a statement from the department.

But the ban that was struck down is the subject of an ongoing court battle, and the police, who are responsible for Greater London, say they will now return to arresting the group’s supporters.

Because the ruling is under appeal, “That means it is still a criminal offense to support Palestine Action,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman says in a statement. “We must enforce the law as it is at the time, not as it might be at a future date. We must do that consistently and without fear or favor.”

He added, “We have determined that while Palestine Action remains proscribed and support for it remains unlawful under the Terrorism Act, we must continue to enforce the law and this is likely to involve the arrest of those committing offenses.”

The protest group was banned last year, after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes. The ban was struck down in February by the British High Court, a decision the UK government later said it would appeal.