Defence Secretary John Healey said supporters of proscribed group Palestine Action must face arrest to avoid creating a "two‑tier policing and justice system" after nearly 900 people were detained at a rally in central London over the weekend.
The Metropolitan Police said 890 people were arrested during the demonstration in Parliament Square on Saturday, with 857 taken into custody for showing support for a proscribed organisation and 33 arrested for assaulting police officers and other public order offences. Scotland Yard said many of those detained were now being processed for charges.
Speaking on Sky News, Healey, a Cabinet minister in Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government, said: "If we want to avoid a two‑tier policing and justice system in this country, when people break the law, there have to be consequences." He urged demonstrators to voice concerns about the conflict in Gaza through lawful protest and warned there was no need to link such protests with an organisation he said had been involved in violent criminality.
Healey also said new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who took over the department on Friday as part of a cabinet reshuffle, would be "just as tough" on enforcing the proscription as her predecessor, Yvette Cooper.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart of the Metropolitan Police said the force encountered "co‑ordinated" violence during the operation from "a group of people, many wearing masks to conceal their identity, intent on creating as much disorder as possible." She contrasted the Parliament Square disturbance with a separate Palestine Coalition march on the same day that the police said drew about 20,000 attendees and was policed without major incident.
"You can express your support for a cause without committing an offence under the Terrorism Act or descending into violence and disorder," Smart said, adding the police had a duty "to enforce the law without fear or favour." She said many of the individuals responsible for disorder had been arrested and the force had begun securing charges.
Campaign group Defend Our Juries described the Parliament Square rally as "the picture of peaceful protest," saying attendees were sitting and holding signs, and called on the new home secretary to end what it called an "unenforceable" ban. Critics of the government move to proscribe Palestine Action have said the measure risks curbing free speech and the right to protest.
The government moved to proscribe Palestine Action after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in June; the group has said it was behind that incident. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, membership of, or support for, a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Mass arrests have taken place at several recent demonstrations related to the proscription, and Saturday's operation followed weeks of heightened tensions around protests connected to the conflict in Gaza. The Metropolitan Police said officers suffered "intolerable" abuse during the operation and described attacks on police by some individuals at the rally.
Labour ministers have defended the decision to proscribe the group on public order and safety grounds. Healey acknowledged public anguish over images from Gaza and said peaceful protest was welcome, but reiterated that supporting a proscribed organisation that has been linked to criminal damage and planning other violent acts could not be tolerated.
Police and prosecutors will now process the arrested individuals, with details of charges and any subsequent court proceedings to be confirmed as cases are prepared. The arrests and the government's proscription of Palestine Action are likely to remain a focal point in debates over protest rights, policing and national security in the coming weeks.