LONDON, July 5 (TNF): British police arrested more than 20 people in London on Saturday for supporting the newly banned group Palestine Action. The arrests came just hours after the ban took effect at midnight.
The UK government outlawed Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws last month. The group’s activists had broken into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes. They said the action was a protest against Britain’s support for Israel.
Palestine Action lost an urgent appeal late Friday against the parliamentary decision to proscribe it. The ban now makes it a crime to support or promote the group. Under UK law, inviting support, expressing approval, or displaying symbols of a banned group can lead to up to 14 years in prison or a fine. The UK has proscribed 81 groups, including Hamas, Al Qaeda, and IS.
On Saturday, supporters gathered in Parliament Square, Westminster. Some held signs that read “I OPPOSE GENOCIDE. I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION.” Sky News showed police leading some of them away in handcuffs from the Mahatma Gandhi statue as they chanted slogans.
United Nations experts have accused Israel of committing “genocidal acts” against Palestinians in Gaza. Palestine Action has targeted Israel-linked firms in Britain. Interior Minister Yvette Cooper said the group’s violent actions and criminal damage justified its proscription. She added that violence had no place in lawful protest.
Critics, including UN experts and civil rights groups, argued that property damage is not terrorism.
At another protest on Saturday, police arrested five Youth Demand activists. They threw red paint on a Cisco truck at the London Pride parade and glued themselves to it. The parade later resumed. Youth Demand said in a statement that Cisco supplies technology used by Israel. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
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