London's Metropolitan Police arrested 523 people, aged between 18 and 87, at a sit-down protest in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of Palestine Action, a group banned by the UK government in July 2024. Protesters holding placards backing the organisation were liable for arrest under legislation that makes supporting the proscribed group punishable by up to 14 years in prison, though a High Court ruling in February found the ban had unlawfully interfered with freedom of speech and the government's appeal is pending. Amnesty UK condemned the mass arrests as "yet another blow to civil liberties," while organisers described the police action as a "misguided crackdown" on peaceful protest, noting that nearly 3,000 arrests have been made since the ban was imposed.