UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK government warns Palestine Action supporters will face the full force of law after 532 arrests amid large protests in London.
As reported by The Standard, the government warned that supporters of the banned group Palestine Action, involved in over 500 arrests at a recent protest, will face legal action.
What did Davies-Jones say about Palestine Action violence?
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones praised police for their bravery during the protests and reaffirmed that peaceful protest remains a democratic right.
She said,
“I want to thank the police for their bravery and their courage in carrying out their diligent duties in the line of public protection, and I want to state that the right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy, and of course, we respect that.”
Ms Davies Jones stated,
“But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful.”
She added,
“They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft. We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom, and there are other reasons that we can’t disclose because of national security. But they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law.”
What did the Palestine Action co-founder say about the mass arrests?
Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, called the mass arrests a “farcical waste of police resources,” confirming their goal was to overwhelm police.
She added,
“This will go down in our country’s history as a momentous act of collective defiance of an unprecedented attack on our fundamental freedoms, taken straight from the playbook of authoritarian regimes which abuse counter-terrorism laws to curb rights to free expression and protest.”
What did Yvette Cooper say about Palestine Action’s threat to UK security?
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said protest rights are “fiercely” protected, but backing this is “very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow proscribed organisation.”
She stated,
“Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.”
Ms Cooper added,
“Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear – this is not a non-violent organisation. UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority.”
How did the police manage 532 arrests amid the Palestine Action protest?
Activists arrested over terror-related violence were released on bail, leaving police unable to prevent their return to the protest.
Police arrested 532 people during a Palestine Action protest, which the group called a “momentous act of defiance,” including 15 supporters over 80, all accused of backing a banned organisation.
The police set up two prisoner processing points in Westminster to process 320 protesters, who provided their details before being released with a summons to appear at a later date.
Protesters were told not to return, but videos show some went back to Parliament Square soon after release.
What did the Met police say about protesters returning after arrests?
The Metropolitan Police called fully policing Saturday’s protest, which ended with 532 arrests, “entirely unrealistic.”
The Met stated,
“Given the number of people arrested yesterday, it would have been entirely unrealistic for officers to recognise individuals who returned.”
They added,
“Their focus was rightly on those continuing to commit offences who were still to be arrested. We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square rejoined the protesters who were holding placards.”
What did Defend Our Juries say about upcoming protests?
Defend Our Juries, the civil liberties group that organised Saturday’s protest, said it will hold further free speech rallies in early September.
Tim Crosland, the group’s co-founder, stated,
“Already we’re hearing from hundreds of people wanting to take part in the next one, so expecting it to be even bigger.”
He added,
“People are now seeing an arrest for terrorism as a badge of honour for resistance to genocide.”
What did Anne Alexander say about her arrest and police processing?
Anne Alexander, 50, a researcher in London, was arrested at 1:50 pm and kept in custody for three hours at a processing point near Great Scotland Yard. She described police officers completing paperwork inside marquees.
She stated,
“They had people out in the street for hours, hundreds of them in a queue, having been arrested. If they were able to make an ID check to confirm name and home address, they were then bailing people to return to a police station, in my case, in October.”
Alexander described the processing point as a “factory assembly line” with a chaotic process. She also recalled the arresting officer being unsure whether to charge her under the Public Order Act or Terrorism Act, at one point using an AI summary for clarification.
What did Polly Smith say about her arrest at the protest?
Polly Smith, 74, a retired care worker from Ipswich, was arrested less than four minutes after joining the protest.
She added,
“I was sitting just in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square. [My sign] said ‘I oppose genocide. I support the Palestine action.’”
What did organisers say about record-breaking mass arrests in Met history?
The protest organisers claimed Saturday’s arrests were the largest one-day mass arrests in Met history, exceeding the 339 made during the 1990 poll tax march.
The police have not confirmed historical arrest figures. However, they verified a recent peak of 306 arrests during the Extinction Rebellion protest on October 7, 2019.
On Armistice Day 2023, 145 people were detained, mostly counter-protesters at a pro-Palestinian rally. In April 2021, 107 were arrested during a Kill the Bill protest.
What did Sara Chitseko say about the Gaza debate and online freedom?
Sara Chitseko, a pre-crime programme manager at Open Rights Group, stated,
“Crucial public debate about Gaza is being threatened by vague, overly broad laws that could lead to content about Palestine being removed or hidden online. There’s also a real danger that people will start self-censoring, worried they might be breaking the law just by sharing or liking posts related to Palestine and non-violent direct action.”
She added,
“This is a serious attack on freedom of expression and the right to protest in the UK. We need to ensure that people can share content about Palestine online without being afraid that they will be characterised as supportive of terrorism.”