London's Metropolitan Police arrested 212 people on Saturday during a demonstration in Trafalgar Square opposing the British government's ban on Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian activist group. Officers carried seated protesters from the square, moved them to a collection point, searched them, and transported them by minibus to police stations. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on social media that they were "continuing to make arrests where people are showing support for a proscribed organisation."
The protest drew around 500 participants, who held placards reading "I oppose genocide" and "I support Palestine Action," while waving Palestinian flags and wearing black-and-white keffiyehs. Among those present were Jewish anti-war activists, Holocaust survivors, and their family members. One group displayed a life-size poster of Prime Minister Keir Starmer bearing the words "I support genocide, I oppose Palestine Action."
The demonstration comes amid a complex legal and political backdrop. Britain's government banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July 2024, following an incident in which activists broke into RAF Brize Norton, cut perimeter fencing, sprayed red paint on military aircraft engines, and raised a Palestinian flag. London's High Court ruled the ban unlawful in February, finding that only a very small number of the group's roughly 385 direct-action protests since 2020 could plausibly meet the legal threshold for terrorism. However, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been granted leave to appeal that ruling, leaving the proscription in legal limbo — and in practical effect.
The stakes for those arrested are significant: under British law, proven support for a proscribed organisation carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Since the ban was first imposed, an estimated 3,000 people have been arrested across the country at Palestine Action-related events. Police had briefly suspended arrests following February's High Court judgment, but announced roughly two weeks ago that they would resume detaining individuals displaying support for the group.
The episode raises pointed questions about the boundaries of protest rights in Britain. Critics argue that arresting peaceful demonstrators for holding placards criminalises ordinary dissent, particularly while the ban itself remains legally contested. Supporters of the government's position maintain that proscription laws exist to deter actions — such as the RAF base intrusion — that endanger public safety. With the appeal still pending, the tension between civil liberties and national security legislation is likely to remain a live controversy in British public life.