August 10, 2025 | 12:51 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The police in London have arrested hundreds of people who demonstrated in support of Palestine as part of the Palestine Action group. This group was declared a terrorist organization by the British government last month.
The Metropolitan Police stated that 466 demonstrators had been arrested in Parliament Square at 9 p.m. local time (20:00 GMT) on Saturday, August 10, 2025, for showing their support for Palestine Action.
"It may take time, but we will arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action," the police said in a previous post on X.
Video shared on social media showed police dispersing demonstrators sitting across the square while holding banners that read, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."
"The community collectively opposes genocide in Gaza and the ban on Palestine Action," wrote Defend Our Juries, the advocacy group that organized the protest, on X.
According to Al Jazeera, the arrests are the latest in a series of protests condemning the government's ban on Palestine Action. This is an action that critics argue infringes on the freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate. The arrests also aim to silence demonstrations against the war in Israel on the Gaza Strip.
Under the Terrorism Act of 2000, membership or support for Palestine Action is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Demonstrator Paddy Friend said that the response to the demonstrating masses raises serious questions about freedom in the UK. "If we can't write seven words on a poster and sit quietly, then what is the meaning of freedom of speech?" Friend said in Parliament Square.
Another demonstrator, Manji Mansfield, again demonstrated on Saturday despite being previously detained at protests. "This is not the England I grew up in," he told Al Jazeera. "We are now living in an alternative universe and I will not accept it."
More than 350 academics from around the world signed an open letter this week. They praised the collective resistance campaign against Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban Palestine Action.
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