UK police arrest protesters after ban on Palestine Action goes into effect

Scores of protesters were arrested in London on Saturday after a ban on the group Palestine Action officially came into effect, Anadolu reports.

The UK government will, for the first time, legally redefine a non-violent protest group, Palestine Action, as a terrorist organization after a last-minute legal challenge to suspend the group’s ban under anti-terrorism laws failed at a high court on Friday.

As of this Saturday, membership in, or showing support for, Palestine Action will become a criminal offense in Britain.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday afternoon that officers were responding to a demonstration in Parliament Square and had begun making arrests.

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“The group is now proscribed, and expressing support for them is a criminal offense,” the force said in a statement. “Arrests are being made.”

Officers have arrested more than 20 people on suspicion of offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000.

It added: “There are a number of events taking place in London this weekend and anyone attending should be aware that officers policing these will act where criminal offenses, including those related to support of proscribed groups or organizations, are committed.”

MPs overwhelmingly voted in favor of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Wednesday. The House of Lords has also approved the move.

UN experts, civil liberties organizations, cultural figures, and hundreds of lawyers have condemned the ban as “draconian.”

They argue that it sets a dangerous precedent by conflating protest with terrorism.

Palestine Action said it is seeking an “urgent appeal to prevent a dystopian nightmare, which criminalizes thousands of people overnight.”

Another court hearing is scheduled for July 21, when Palestine Action will apply for permission to launch a judicial review in an effort to overturn the order.

Unless the review is successful, being a member of or inviting support for the group that protests Israeli genocide in Gaza will carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestine activists disrupted the London Pride parade by covering a float in red paint.

Four protesters from the group Youth Demand targeted a truck belonging to US-based company CISCO, accusing the firm of “genocide” and claiming it has “no place” at the event.

The incident comes less than 24 hours after the protest group Palestine Action was officially banned and designated a terrorist organization.

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