UPDATE - London demo urges government to drop ban on Palestine Action as hundreds arrested

UPDATES WITH ARRESTS; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Some 355 protesters were arrested at a London demonstration in support of the banned activist group Palestine Action on Saturday, police said.

"As of 5.20pm (1640GMT), 355 people had been arrested for supporting a proscribed organisation," the Metropolitan Police posted on the US social media company X.

"The majority of people still remaining in Trafalgar Square are onlookers who are holding placards in support of Palestine Action. Arrests continue."

Gathered at Trafalgar Square, more than 1,000 demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and signs while chanting pro-Palestine slogans.

Some banners read "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action," and "Lift the ban."

The protest came after Defend Our Juries (DOJ), the organizing group, said earlier this week that more than 1,500 people had pledged to attend.

During similar protests in the past two months, hundreds of people were detained under the Terrorism Act for "supporting a proscribed organisation."

"The absurd proscription was a huge political misstep that has led to over a thousand people arrested for sign holding. It must be lifted," DOJ said earlier on X.

Meanwhile, a banner dropped on Westminster Bridge ahead of the Trafalgar Square protest read: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

Palestine Action was banned in July under the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, a decision that has led to the arrests of hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters for holding signs or showing support for the group.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to health authorities in the enclave, and leading to a famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.