Palestine Action supporters arrested as London’s Met Police reverse policy

Arrests travel days aft unit announced U-turn, saying that contempt High Court ruling, ‘terror’ prohibition remains successful place.

London’s Metropolitan Police person arrested 18 supporters of Palestine Action, days aft the force promised to resume arrests successful a reversal of policy.

The protesters had sat connected the steps of New Scotland Yard, the Met’s headquarters, connected Saturday, holding signs that read: “I reason genocide. I enactment Palestine Action.”

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Officers made the arrests nether “terrorism” legislation.

Following the High Court’s ruling successful February that banning Palestine Action arsenic a “terrorist group” was unlawful, the unit had said it would follow a “proportionate approach” and halt arresting the group’s supporters and absorption alternatively connected gathering evidence.

But connected Wednesday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said that since immoderate “impact of that judgement volition not instrumentality effect until the government’s entreaty has been considered, which could instrumentality galore months”, it would resume arrests. “We indispensable enforce the instrumentality arsenic it is astatine the time, not arsenic it mightiness beryllium astatine a aboriginal date,” helium said.

As she was led distant by 2 officers connected Saturday, 1 woman, successful footage posted to societal media, tin beryllium heard saying: “I’m being arrested for holding a cardboard sign, whereas our authorities feels the request to merchantability weapons and usage our airbases to perpetrate genocide successful Palestine.”

Critics accidental the Met’s U-turn defies the tribunal ruling.

Palestine Action is simply a nonstop enactment run radical which has targeted weapons manufacturers linked to Israel and an RAF base.

The authorities proscribed it arsenic a “terrorist organisation” successful July 2025, placing it alongside groups including al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. The High Court called the determination “disproportionate” and successful breach of state of expression.

The authorities was granted a enactment pending an appeal, meaning the prohibition technically remains successful force.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who said she would combat the High Court ruling successful the Court of Appeal, said successful February that supporting Palestine Action was not the aforesaid arsenic supporting the Palestinian cause.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring has since ordered that hundreds of related prosecutions beryllium paused until aft that entreaty is heard.

Nearly 3,000 radical person been arrested for holding signs successful enactment of the group, contributing to a 660 percent emergence successful UK “terrorism” arrests successful the twelvemonth to September 2025, Defend Our Juries said.

On the time of the High Court ruling, astir 150 radical held the aforesaid placards extracurricular the tribunal and not a azygous person was arrested.

The standard of the crackdown has drawn crisp planetary criticism, including from the UN.

When the prohibition was archetypal imposed, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said it appeared “disproportionate and unnecessary”, informing it risked criminalising the morganatic workout of escaped expression.

In January, US Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers told the quality level Semafor that “censoring that code does much harm than good”.

Amnesty International, which intervened successful the tribunal case, said thousands had been “arrested for thing that should ne'er person been a crime.”

Eight activists linked to the radical staged a lengthy hunger onslaught successful prison, with 4 held connected remand for 15 months earlier being bailed successful February. Four others stay imprisoned.

Earlier this week, Al Jazeera reported that released detainees are present pursuing ineligible enactment against the prisons implicit alleged mistreatment.

Defend Our Juries has called a wide sign-holding event, titled Everyone Day, astatine Trafalgar Square connected April 11, arsenic the government’s entreaty heads to court.

Saturday’s arrests took spot arsenic the remainder of the metropolis was filled with demonstrators who came retired to march against the acold right.