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UK police arrest 150 people in latest Palestine Action demo / Photo: © AFP
UK police arrest 150 people in latest Palestine Action demo
Some 150 people were arrested in London on Saturday during a tense protest in support of the Palestine Action group, which has been banned under terror laws, police said.
Several hundred people demonstrated in front of the UK parliament, with some holding placards that read: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."
The capital's Metropolitan Police force (Met) had warned people that it would not hesitate to arrest anyone who explicitly expressed support for the prohibited group.
"We are not terrorists," 74-year-old retiree Polly Smith told AFP, adding: "The ban must be lifted."
Nigel, a 62-year-old CEO of a recycling company who declined to give his surname, said the government's ban imposed in July was "totally inappropriate".
"They should spend more time working on trying to stop genocide, rather than trying to stop protesters," he told AFP before being arrested as protesters chanted "Shame on you!" at police.
Skirmishes broke out between officers and demonstrators who tried to prevent arrests.
Some of the alleged offences committed included "assault on a police officer", the Met said on X.
Palestine Action was banned under the UK's Terrorism Act of 2000 following acts of vandalism including at a Royal Air Force base, which caused an estimated £7 million ($10 million) in damage.
Critics, including the United Nations and campaign groups such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace, have condemned the ban as legal overreach and a threat to free speech.
More than 800 people had already been arrested before Saturday's demonstration, with 138 charged with supporting or encouraging support for a proscribed organization.
Most face six months in prison if convicted but organisers of the rallies could be sentenced to up to 14 years if found guilty.
The government has been granted permission to appeal an earlier ruling which allowed Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori to challenge the ban.
A separate pro-Palestinian demonstration saw several thousand people take to the streets elsewhere in London on Saturday, as Israel launched new strikes on Gaza, with the stated aim of seizing Gaza City to defeat the militant group Hamas.
D.Robinson--SFF
