More than 425 people were arrested at a demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday against the UK government's proscription of the campaign group Palestine Action, police said, as separate protests in Scotland drew crowds who ignored a police appeal not to show visible support for the organisation.
The Metropolitan Police said the majority of the arrests in London were for supporting a proscribed organisation, and that more than 25 people were detained for assaults on officers and other public order offences. Organisers estimated about 1,500 people attended the rally.
The force said officers had been subjected to "an exceptional level of abuse", including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, and described what it called a "coordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties." The government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act in July after activists broke into an RAF base and damaged two military aircraft; the ban criminalises membership of or support for the group and carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
Separately in Edinburgh, police had warned attendees that officers would uphold the law but promised any response would be "proportionate". Dozens of participants ignored a specific police appeal not to display visible or vocal support for Palestine Action during a protest that brought hundreds into the city centre to call for an end to UK arms sales to Israel. Hundreds of people have been arrested across the country since the ban came into force on 5 July, the Metropolitan Police and other forces have said.
The legal fight over the proscription continued on Friday after the Home Office was given permission to challenge a High Court ruling that allowed Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori to appeal the ban on free speech grounds. A Court of Appeal judge said he believed the government's appeal "has a real prospect of success" and that it was "highly desirable" the case be heard quickly; an appeal hearing has been set for 25 September. Ms Ammori's own challenge to the ban is listed for a three-day hearing in November.
Scotland's political leaders also engaged with the issue. Former first minister Humza Yousaf called for an exemption for peaceful Scottish protesters who expressed support for Palestine Action, arguing it was not in the public interest to prosecute non-violent individuals. The Solicitor General for Scotland, Ruth Charteris, rejected that request on behalf of the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain.
The proscription followed a series of high-profile Palestine Action actions, including the break-in at the RAF base. Police forces in London and elsewhere have since made hundreds of arrests on suspicion of supporting or belonging to the proscribed group. The Metropolitan Police declined to provide a running total for the weekend but said the numbers arrested at the Parliament Square rally were among the largest single-day figures linked to alleged support for Palestine Action since the ban.
Government ministers have defended the decision to proscribe the group as necessary to protect national security and the integrity of military sites, while supporters of Palestine Action and some civil liberties campaigners say the ban raises free speech concerns. The Court of Appeal's permission for the Home Office to seek a further hearing means the legality of the proscription will be considered again by senior judges in the coming weeks.
Protests against the ban have taken place across the UK this weekend, reflecting continuing public division over the campaign group's tactics and the government's use of terrorism legislation. Police said they would continue to balance the right to protest with public safety and the enforcement of the law as court processes proceed.
