From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 12, 2025
London police nab dozens of protesters supporting banned Palestine Action group
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LONDON — Police in London arrested dozens of protesters on a second successive Saturday for supporting Palestine Action, campaigners say, a week after the UK government banned the activist group under anti-terror laws.
Campaign group Defend Our Juries, which had announced it would hold rallies today in several UK cities “to defy” the ban, says police in the UK capital had arrested “more than 40 people” and criticises the response.
“The Metropolitan Police were out in force again today, arresting more than 40 people in Parliament Square for holding signs opposed to genocide and supporting Palestine Action,” a spokesperson tells AFP.
“Who do the police think they are serving in this?” the spokesperson adds, calling the ban “Orwellian.”
Footage shows police moving in on a small group of protesters displaying signs supporting Palestine Action who had gathered at the steps of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square.
Those detained did not appear to put up any resistance.
The Met confirms on X that its officers were “in the process of making arrests” after “responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action.”
Police have warned since the ban kicked in on July 5 that expressing support for Palestine Action was now a crime.
The Times of Israel Community.