Palestine Action protest sees nearly 900 people arrested by Met Police

Nearly 900 people were arrested at a protest yesterday on Parliament Square in support of banned group Palestine Action.

Around 1,500 people took part in a Lift the Ban on Palestine Action protest outside Parliament on Saturday and the Met Police confirmed it made 890 arrests. The force condemned the "intolerable" abuse it claims its officers suffered but organisers, campaign group Defend Our Juries (DOJ), insisted the rally was "the picture of peaceful protest". Demonstrators were protesting the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group by the UK government.

Some 857 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a proscribed group, while 33 people were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers, the Metropolitan Police said.

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The force said that those arrested were processed at a prisoner reception point in the Westminster area and those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date.

Those who refused to provide their details, or were found to have been arrested while already on bail, were taken to custody suites. The 857 people arrested under the Terrorism Act will be investigated by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart who led the policing operation said: "The violence we encountered during the operation was coordinated and carried out by a group of people, many wearing masks to conceal their identity, intent on creating as much disorder as possible. Many of those individuals have now been arrested and we have begun securing charges.

"The contrast between this demonstration and the other protests we policed yesterday, including the Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 people, was stark.

"You can express your support for a cause without committing an offence under the Terrorism Act or descending into violence and disorder, and many thousands of people do that in London every week.

"We have a duty to enforce the law without fear or favour. If you advertise that you are intending to commit a crime, we have no option but to respond accordingly."

Palestine Action was banned as a terror organisation in July after the group claimed responsibility for an action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.

The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Action’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, to proceed with a legal challenge against the Government over the group's ban.

Ammori took legal action against the department over then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, which made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.