Dozens of Palestine Action supporters were arrested in Britain on Saturday during a demonstration in support of the pro-Palestinian movement, which has been banned since early July after being designated a "terrorist organization," according to police and protest organizers.
London police reported in a post on Twitter that 55 people were arrested in Parliament Square in London's Westminster Borough for raising "banners in support of Palestine Action, a banned group."
The Palestine Action movement claimed responsibility for the incident, stating that it came as part of its protest against Britain's support for Israel (Palestine Action website)
The Palestine Action movement claimed responsibility for the incident, stating that it came as part of its protest against Britain's support for Israel (Palestine Action website)
According to Defend Our Jurisdictions, which organized similar demonstrations in Edinburgh, Bristol, and Manchester, "around 100 people were arrested in Britain" on Saturday, bringing the total number of arrests to "around 200" since Palestine Action was banned.
In London, dozens of protesters wrote on white banners: "I am against genocide, and I am with Palestine Action."
"Freedom of expression has disappeared in this country. Shame on the London police," a man said during his arrest.
"The British government is complicit in Israel's genocide against Palestinians. It is trying to silence voices that denounce this complicity," the Defend Our Jurisdictions group wrote on Twitter.
In early July, the British Parliament approved the banning of the Palestine Action group and its designation as a "terrorist organization" under the Terrorism Act 2000, days after activists affiliated with the group stormed a military airbase in southern England.
They sprayed red paint on two aircraft at the base, causing £7 million ($9.55 million) in damage.
Activists from the Palestine Action group approach a warplane at RAF Brize Norton in southern England (Reuters)
Four activists in the group were placed in pretrial detention after appearing before the judiciary in connection with the incident.
In light of the group's ban, membership in or support for it becomes a criminal act punishable by imprisonment for a period of up to 14 years.
The London High Court refused to suspend the ban.
UN experts criticized the British authorities' decision, arguing that "minor material damage that did not endanger anyone's life is not serious enough to qualify as terrorism."
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British police arrest dozens of Palestine Action supporters