London — In one of the largest crackdowns on political dissent in recent UK history, the Metropolitan Police arrested more than 466 people on Saturday during a mass demonstration at Parliament Square in support of the banned pro-Palestinian activist network Palestine Action. The sweeping detentions, justified under Britain’s contentious anti-terrorism legislation, have intensified accusations that the UK government is criminalizing political opposition to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Witnesses described rows of heavily armed officers corralling demonstrators, many of whom carried placards denouncing the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and Britain’s complicity in supplying arms to Israel. Chants of “Hands off Gaza” and “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” echoed through Westminster before police moved in, detaining hundreds for allegedly showing support for a “proscribed organization.” Another eight individuals were arrested on charges that included assaulting officers.
The group at the center of the controversy, Palestine Action, has been at the forefront of direct-action campaigns targeting arms manufacturers and military contractors supplying Israel. The UK government formally outlawed the network in July, branding it a terrorist organization after activists infiltrated a Royal Air Force base and damaged two refueling aircraft reportedly linked to weapons exports. Critics argue that the ban serves as a political shield for Israel, insulating it from accountability while muzzling voices demanding an end to the war crimes in Gaza.
Under the new law, even verbal or symbolic expressions of solidarity with Palestine Action are punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Civil liberties advocates and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have condemned the measure as an assault on free expression and a dangerous precedent for quashing protest movements challenging state-backed militarism.
Huda Ammori, the group’s co-founder, has secured the right to challenge the proscription in court, with a judicial review set to test whether the government’s justification can withstand legal scrutiny. Supporters say the arrests this weekend will only amplify public outrage and strengthen calls for the UK to sever military ties with Israel.
According to Reuters, the August 9 operation ranks among the most extensive single-day arrest sweeps in recent years, underscoring the UK government’s willingness to deploy anti-terror powers not against violent extremists, but against unarmed demonstrators opposing what they see as the state’s complicity in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
