Clashes break out at Palestine Action protest – as police make around 425 arrests

Clashes have broken out at a protest for Palestine Action in London as police reveal they have arrested more than 425 people.

The Metropolitan Police said officers had been “subjected to an exceptional level of abuse” at the Westminster protest, including “punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown”.

It added some protesters had been both physically and verbally abusive in a “coordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties”, and that more than 25 of the arrests were made for assault.

Officers were seen drawing their batons while demonstrators took action in support of the proscribed terror organisation.

One man was seen with blood streaming down his face behind a barrier after being arrested, while the crowd was heard chanting “shame on you” and “you’re supporting genocide”.

Tense scenes on the western side of Parliament Square saw several protesters fall over in a crush while water was thrown at officers.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Claire Smart, who led the policing operation, said officers had been “punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them”.

She said the majority of protests, including the Palestine Coalition march, attended by around 20,000 people, “passed with very few arrests”.

But “this was not the case at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action”.

“The tactics deployed by supporters of Palestine Action in their attempt to overwhelm the justice system, as well as the level of violence seen in the crowd, required significant resource which took officers out of neighbourhoods to the detriment of the Londoners who rely on them,” she said.

First arrest after just 12 minutes

The Met Police announced the first arrests of the day on X just 12 minutes after the protest’s official start time.

The protest’s organiser, Defend Our Juries, said it estimated 1,500 had gathered for the rally, where many of them held signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

In an update early on Saturday evening, the Met said: “Any assaults against officers will not be tolerated and arrests have already been made. We will identify all those responsible and prosecute to the full extent of the law.”

It had warned before the protest that “expressing support for a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act”.

“Where our officers see offences, we will make arrests,” it said.

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries claimed the rally had been “the picture of peaceful protest” and that the Met Police’s statement about its officers being abused was an “astonishing claim”.

“I’ve been here all day and I haven’t seen any violence or aggression from anyone,” they said. “I’ve only seen aggression and violence from the police.”

Palestine Action has been banned as a terror group since 5 July after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move proposed by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, making it illegal to express support for the group.

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The ban on the group came shortly after two Voyager aircraft suffered around £7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June.

More than 530 people were arrested at the last major demonstration against Palestine Action being banned as a terror group. However, the Met Police used “street bail” to avoid having to process them all in custody.

Street bail allows officers to release suspects on bail before they are taken to a police station. The suspect receives a bail notice requiring them to return to a station at a future date instead.

The organisers encouraged protesters not to accept street bail during today’s demonstration, writing in a briefing document before they started: “It will not be practically possible for the police to arrest 1,000 non-compliant people on the same day, and that is the strategic rationale behind non-compliance. It increases pressure on the state.”

In a reference to the advice in the briefing document, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Sky News the move would be “misguided”.

It faces a legal challenge in November after the High Court granted a full judicial review to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.