In brief
In a large rally outside the US embassy on Saturday, London police detained 139 protesters after a warning to stay away on the occasion of a Supreme Court appeal challenging the proscription of Palestine Action. Authorities said most arrests were for supporting the banned group, while MPs claimed the arrests overreacted to free‑speech protest. Demonstrations also took place outside the US consulate in Edinburgh.
Metropolitan Police announced that 139 people had been arrested after a mass protest outside the United States embassy on Saturday, following a warning that attendees should not gather to oppose the proscription of the pro‑Palestinian group Palestine Action. The arrests, said the police, were largely for expressing support for a proscribed organisation, not for protesting the ban itself.
"139 people have now been arrested," the police posted on X, adding that the number had risen from 48 earlier in the day.
London MPs, including Labour Party MP John McDonnell, reacted to the police statement that afternoon.
"Someone protesting against the government’s decision to proscribe an organisation cannot be automatically interpreted as them supporting that organisation and therefore committing an arrestable offence," McDonnell tweeted. He added that the government had "made the wrong decision in proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation."
The demonstration was the first large-scale protest against the proscription since Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office in July. The ban, which came into effect in July last year under the government of then‑Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has triggered anger among sections of British society who argue it is part of a broader crackdown on pro‑Palestine voices.
Attendees in London, and similar rallies outside the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh, held placards reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." No arrests were reported outside Edinburgh.
The group is set to challenge its designation in a Supreme Court appeal scheduled for Wednesday. The ruling will likely determine whether the proscription will be upheld or lifted in the coming weeks.
