LONDON (AP) – Police on Saturday arrested some of the hundreds of protesters who gathered outside Parliament in London on Saturday to defy a ban on the group Palestine Action, which has been deemed a terrorist organization by the government.
Defend Our Juries, the campaign group organizing the protest, said 1,500 people were taking part, holding signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Within minutes, police began arresting the demonstrators, as bystanders chanted “Shame on you” and “Met Police, pick a side, justice or genocide.”
“Expressing support for a proscribed organization is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act,” the Metropolitan Police force said on social media. “Where our officers see offences, we will make arrests.”
More than 700 people were arrested at earlier protests, and 138 have been charged under the Terrorism Act.
Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, was arrested last month but returned to demonstrate on Saturday.
“And I’m a terrorist? That’s the joke of it,” he said. “I’ve already been arrested under the Terrorism Act and I suspect I will be today.
“Of course I’ll keep coming back. What choice do I have?”
The government proscribed Palestine Action in July after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized planes to protest against what they called Britain’s support for Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars.
The group is challenging the ban in court, saying it is a peaceful protest organization.
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