Largest mass arrest in London, public support for "Action for Palestine"
The Metropolitan Police announced the largest mass arrest in London held in support of the Palestinian people.
London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement that it had arrested 532 people during Saturday's protests, 521 of whom were for supporting the group "Action for Palestine" and 10 for other charges such as "assaulting police officers" or "disturbing public order." Almost half of those arrested were over 60 years old, and among them were people in their 70s and 80s.
A large crowd of officers and the public gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in London to protest against the "Defend the Jury" group. Demonstrators held signs reading "I oppose genocide; I support action for Palestine."
Amnesty International described the mass arrests as "deeply concerning" and stressed: "The protesters in Parliament Square did not act violently and it makes no sense to label them as terrorists."
UK Home Secretary Yeti Cooper defended the government's decision, saying that supporting the banned group was unacceptable under counter-terrorism laws, which could result in up to 14 years in prison.
A notable historical point about this demonstration is that, according to the media, the widespread raid is considered the largest single-day mass arrest in the history of the Metropolitan Police, breaking the record for arrests during the Poll Tax riots in 1990.
On the other hand, the group "Defend Jury" and civil rights advocates have called these actions a suppression of free speech and have promised to hold similar demonstrations in September.
