Demonstrators maintain placards throughout a protest in assist of the Palestinian Individuals in Gaza, in Parliament Sq., in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Alberto Pezzali/AP
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Alberto Pezzali/AP
LONDON — London police mentioned Sunday that 532 individuals have been arrested the day past when supporters of a pro-Palestinian group lately outlawed as a terrorist group deliberately broke the regulation to check the federal government’s potential to implement the ban.
The Metropolitan Police Service launched the up to date figures as protestors demanding the fast launch of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza held their very own march by way of central London on Sunday afternoon.
The overwhelming majority of these detained on Saturday have been arrested for displaying placards declaring their assist for the group referred to as Palestine Motion. Police up to date their earlier totals and mentioned 522 individuals have been arrested for supporting a proscribed group in violation of anti-terror legal guidelines. One other 10 individuals have been arrested on a wide range of prices, together with assaulting and obstructing cops.
Backers of Palestine Motion staged the protest to underscore their perception that the federal government is illegally limiting freedom of expression by banning a direct motion group that has challenged its insurance policies.
Dwelling Secretary Yvette Cooper, who oversees regulation enforcement in Britain, rejected that characterization, saying Palestine Motion was banned after committing critical assaults involving violence, vital accidents and intensive prison harm.
“The best to protest is one we defend fiercely however that is very completely different from displaying assist for this one particular and slender, proscribed group,” Cooper mentioned in an announcement. “Many individuals could not but know the truth of this group, however the assessments are very clear, this isn’t a nonviolent group,” she added.
Cops arrest a demonstrator throughout a protest in assist of the Palestinian Individuals in Gaza, in Parliament Sq., in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Alberto Pezzali/AP
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Alberto Pezzali/AP
Police launched up to date info on the Palestine Motion protest after the entrance pages of Sunday newspapers featured photographs of aged protesters being carted off by officers.
A kind of was La Pethick, an 89-year-old retired psychotherapist, who advised the Instances of London that she had the assist of her 5 grandchildren. “We’re having our proper to peaceable protest being taken away,” she mentioned.
Nearly half of these arrested have been over the age of 60, in keeping with figures launched by the Met.
Police mentioned the method of deciding whether or not to file prices towards these arrested is prone to take weeks as officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command put collectively case recordsdata and search approval from prosecutors, and in some circumstances the lawyer basic.
Parliament voted to ban Palestine Motion after activists broke right into a Royal Air Pressure base and broken two tanker planes to protest British assist for the struggle in Gaza. Palestine Motion had beforehand focused Israeli protection contractors and different websites in Britain that they consider have hyperlinks with the Israeli army.
Supporters of Palestine Motion are difficult the ban in court docket, arguing that the federal government has violated human rights legal guidelines by in declaring the group a terrorist group.
