London police arrested 212 people during a protest backing Palestine Action in central London on Saturday, according to the Metropolitan Police, which said it had detained protesters between the ages of 27 and 82 for supporting the group. The arrests came as demonstrators gathered in Trafalgar Square in the face of pre-protest warnings from police that arrests would be made.
The protest was organized by Defend Our Juries, whose demonstration drew a crowd that, according to the report, included people holding signs such as “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Police officers carrying out arrests faced jeers from some protesters during the action, with some people accusing officers and mocking them as they led protesters into vehicles, including protesters who appeared elderly.
The Metropolitan Police said the detentions were carried out after police had warned in advance that the protest would lead to arrests. Demonstrators showed support for Palestine Action despite the group’s status in Britain, where the government has labeled Palestine Action a terrorist organization.
Britain’s High Court ruled in February that the government’s decision to outlaw Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, but the court kept the ban in place while the government appealed. That legal situation meant the ban continued at the time of Saturday’s protest.
Among the people at the demonstration was Robert Del Naja, a musician with the trip-hop group Massive Attack. He told The Associated Press that he held a sign in support of Palestine Action despite the potential impact an arrest could have on his ability to travel, saying, “I thought this is ridiculous and then the police making that U-turn to arrest people again, I thought that is even more ridiculous,” before adding, “So I’m going to hold a sign today.”
In the crowd, some protesters continued to criticize officers as detentions unfolded, the report said. One woman, as police led a protester with a walking stick to a police van, yelled, “Yeah, she looks like a terrorist, doesn’t she mate?”