UK police arrest over 500 at London demonstration for Palestine Action support
Police in London on Saturday arrested more than 500 pro-Palestinian protesters at a Trafalgar Square demonstration in support of the banned anti-Israel group Palestine Action. Officers carried away activists to cheers and applause from other demonstrators. Protesters held placards backing the group, making them liable for arrest.
Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organization last July, making membership or support a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In subsequent protests, nearly 3,000 people have been arrested for alleged support. Since forming in 2020, the group has carried out “direct action” at military and industrial sites in the UK, including breaking into facilities owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK and damaging Royal Air Force planes at a base in England.
Six activists are facing a retrial on charges tied to a 2024 raid on Elbit’s UK factory after being acquitted earlier this month of aggravated burglary. The retrial will address charges on which the jury did not reach verdicts and is scheduled for February 2027. The initial verdict in the raid, in which a police officer’s spine was allegedly fractured in a filmed sledgehammer attack, drew criticism from police, lawmakers and Jewish communal groups. Officials say the group’s actions have caused millions of pounds in damage affecting national security.
In mid-February, London’s High Court upheld a challenge to the ban, saying it interfered with free speech. The Metropolitan Police paused arrests after the ruling, then said in late March they would resume them after the government was allowed to appeal.
