LONDON — British police arrested 55 peaceful demonstrators in Parliament Square on Saturday, in what critics are calling yet another shameless attempt by the UK establishment to criminalize solidarity with Palestine and protect its lucrative defense complicity with Israel’s genocide in Palestine, and war crimes. The protest was organized in open defiance of the UK’s draconian ban on “Palestine Action,” a direct-action group that had dared to challenge Britain’s role in fueling Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Far from protecting national security, the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action reeks of political cowardice and imperial nostalgia. Its real crime? Daring to expose Britain’s arms trade to Israel, particularly its ties to Elbit Systems, a key supplier of drone components and surveillance systems used to bomb Palestinians into rubble. The arrests on Saturday follow Palestine Action’s daring June 20 raid on RAF Brize Norton, where activists splashed red paint over military aircraft used in UK-Israel logistics, symbolizing the blood of Gaza’s children.
Instead of acknowledging its own criminal complicity in the slaughter of civilians, the British state has chosen to target young protesters with riot police and terrorism charges. The Metropolitan Police, acting like enforcers for the arms industry, rounded up anyone holding placards or banners deemed sympathetic to Palestine Action. Legal observers warn that the arrests constitute a dangerous escalation in authoritarian policing, and a direct attack on free expression under the guise of counterterrorism.
Across Britain, the message was unmistakable, Westminster will not tolerate criticism of Israel, no matter how many children are incinerated in Gaza. Protests erupted simultaneously in Manchester, Edinburgh, and Bristol, with images of UK flags burning and anti-Zionist chants ringing through the streets. The government’s iron-fisted response only poured fuel on the fire.
Meanwhile, Palestine Action remains defiant. In a statement circulated via encrypted channels, the group mocked the arrests as “desperate repression” and vowed to escalate its campaign against British war profiteering. Their message resonated deeply in a country where public support for Gaza is growing, and faith in political institutions has all but collapsed.
While British ministers hide behind speeches and security jargon, the world watches as they imprison their own citizens for refusing to be silent about genocide. History will remember who stood for justice, and who used the law to cover up Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and war crimes.
