Largest Mass Arrest in London, People’s Support for “Palestine Action”
London’s “Metropolitan” Police announced the largest mass arrest in London, which was held in support of the Palestinian people.
London’s Metropolitan Police stated in a statement that during Saturday’s protests, 532 people were arrested, of whom 521 were arrested for supporting the “Palestine Action” group and 10 were arrested for other charges such as “assaulting police officers” or “disturbing public order.” Nearly half of those arrested were people over 60 years old, and among them were individuals in their seventies and eighties.
In the presence of a large number of police officers and crowds gathered in front of the London Parliament building, a protest by the “Defend Juries” group was held. Participants in the demonstration held placards with messages saying “I oppose genocide; I support Palestine Action.”
Amnesty International described the widespread arrests as “very concerning” and emphasized: “The protesters in Parliament Square did not act violently and labeling them as terrorists makes absolutely no sense.”
Yvette Cooper, Britain’s Home Secretary, defended the government’s decision, saying that supporting this banned group is unacceptable within the framework of counter-terrorism laws, support that could result in up to 14 years in prison.
A notable historical point in these protests is that according to media reports, the aforementioned extensive crackdown constitutes the largest single-day mass arrest in the history of Metropolitan Police and breaks the arrest record from the Poll Tax riots in 1990.
On the other hand, the “Defend Juries” group and civil rights advocates have characterized these measures as suppression of freedom of speech and have promised to hold similar protests in September.
