More than 500 people were arrested in London during protests against the ban on the group Palestine Action.Image: keystone
04/12/2026, 07:3204/12/2026, 07:32
More than 500 people were arrested in London during protests against the ban on the group Palestine Action. The police in the British capital said those arrested were between 18 and 87 years old. Palestine Action remains a banned organization and any expression of support for the group is a criminal offense, the Metropolitan Police said.
Palestine Action was designated terrorist in early July 2025 after activists invaded an air base and sprayed paint on Royal Air Force planes.
High Court judges ruled in February this year that the ban on the group was unlawful under terrorism laws. However, the government announced an appeal against the court decision. In order to give time for the objection, the ban remains in effect for the time being.
Criticism from Amnesty International
An Amnesty International spokesman said, according to the British news agency PA: “Today’s mass arrests of peaceful protesters in Trafalgar Square under the UK’s Terrorism Act are a further blow to civil liberties in this country.” This is not police work, but rather a “criminalization of dissenting opinions by the state.”
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests in British cities. (sda/dpa)