Image source: Press Association
British police arrested more than 300 people during a demonstration organized in front of the American embassy in London, in support of the banned “Palestine Action” organization.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Saturday in the Nine Elms area of the British capital, and many raised banners with phrases written on them, including: “I oppose genocide and support Palestine Action.”
The London Metropolitan Police said on Sunday that the number of detainees reached 325 people, explaining that 320 of them were arrested on charges of "expressing support for an organization banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act."
According to the police, the number of arrests linked to the group has exceeded four thousand since the ban in July 2025.
The British Supreme Court is scheduled to consider the decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism legislation, after one of its co-founders obtained permission to appeal the decision.
For its part, the British Home Office confirmed that it would “vigorously defend” the ban before the court.
The arrest operations continued until the evening hours, as police officers took the demonstrators to security vehicles to transport them, amid applause from a number of protesters, while some of them chanted: “Freedom for Palestine.”
In some cases, police officers had to carry away demonstrators who refused to march with them.
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Retired solicitor Charles Allison, who was arrested by police in the afternoon, had traveled from Cumbria to take part. He said that he was concerned about the level of people's civil liberties, which he said were declining.
The 75-year-old also said: “I would hope that the Supreme Court justices would look at what's happening in this country - not necessarily be affected by the protest - and take a long-term view and decide that the ban was illegal, which I believe it was.”
David Bouldin, another protester awaiting arrest, called the ban a "ridiculous law."
Defend Our Juries, which is coordinating a series of protests against the ban, said the number of people arrested this weekend brought the total number of arrests to more than 4,000 since the group was banned, describing the situation as "truly miserable."
According to Interior Ministry figures seen by the BBC, 3,630 people were arrested during the year ending in June 2026.
Adding the 134 people arrested outside Westminster Magistrates Court earlier this year, plus those arrested on Saturday, brings the total to 4,089 people.
The BBC has contacted the Metropolitan Police to confirm any numbers they may have.
For its part, Amnesty International in the United Kingdom criticized the arrests and called on the government to lift the ban on the "Palestine Action" organization.
The "Defend Juries" coalition described the arrests as "unjust," considering them an "attack on freedom of expression."
We used artificial intelligence to help translate this article, which was originally written in English. This translation was reviewed by a BBC journalist before publication. More about how we use AI.
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