London (QNN)- Over 500 people were arrested in central London on Saturday at a mass protest opposing the UK government’s ban on the direct action group Palestine Action.
Hundreds gathered in Trafalgar Square, with many carrying signs in support of the group reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action".
The demonstrators were met with a heavy police presence, with vans lining the square hours before the vigil began.
The protesters were seen being hauled away, while some were led leaning on crutches. A number of the demonstrators were dressed as Suffragettes, early women’s rights activists.
One woman appeared to faint as she was being carried and was put into the recovery position while surrounded by police.
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The Metropolitan Police said more than 500 people were arrested during the demonstration. The age of those arrested ranged from 18 to 87, police said.
Saturday's protest, named Everyone Day, had been called by Defend our Juries, who said the event would demonstrate the "unwaning resistance to the ban on Palestine Action".
Placards with other slogans were also displayed, with some demonstrators declaring their support for defending the right to protest and displaying their opposition to the US and Israel.
At 16:50 BST, the Metropolitan Police said it made 212 arrests, and these were continuing "where people are showing support for a proscribed organisation."
By 23:07 BST, the force said 523 people had been arrested.
More than 2,200 people have been arrested so far for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action since it was banned.
Many of the people gathered in Trafalgar Square have been arrested multiple times for the same offence.
Former Palestine Action prisoners, who launched a 73-day hunger strike behind bars over their detention conditions and the proscription, were also present.
The latest arrests come after a ruling by the High Court in February, which found the government’s ban on the group to be unlawful.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was subsequently granted permission to appeal the decision, which will be heard on 28 and 29 April.
Following the court’s decision, London’s Metropolitan Police (Met) said they would refrain from arresting the group’s supporters and people protesting against the proscription under terrorism legislation, focusing instead on gathering evidence for future prosecutions.
However, in a policy U-turn, the Met issued a statement describing its previous comments as an “interim position” and said it has now “revised” this approach.
Defend our Juries (DOJ), the group driving the campaign to lift the ban, said it wrote to Met Commissioner Mark Rowley, warning of the potential legal repercussions of arrests following the court’s ruling.
The group said it had first organised Saturday’s vigil on the basis of its initial policy of suspending arrests, noting that the police had failed to “respond substantively” to correspondence from its lawyers.
DOJ said any arrests would be unlawful as they would violate the protesters’ democratic rights under the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights.
“It is clear that the Metropolitan Police has adopted a policy of a) refusing to investigate crimes under the ICCA relating to the acts of the government of Israel; and b) suppressing public expression of opposition to such crimes,” it said in a statement.
“Such a biased and discriminatory policy materially assists both the Israeli Government and Elbit Systems in the commission of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Dal Babu, a former Met chief superintendent, said the “optics” of the mass arrests “will be very challenging for the police... in terms of how they manage it”.
“Also be aware of the fact there will be a huge amount of people who have sympathy with what is going on with the views of Palestine Action.”
A DOJ spokesperson said the movement to overturn the ban “has grown beyond a question of the right to protest”.
“The government’s refusal to accept the judgment of the High Court, coupled with inconsistent and opaque policing decisions, signals a troubling disregard for the rule of law.
“These are not the actions of institutions committed to protecting citizens, but of a state prioritising its own authority. Today’s wrongful arrests of... people holding signs at a silent vigil are further evidence of this.”
Palestine Action, a direct-action group protesting against Israeli war crimes, was proscribed by the British government in July 2025.
