Demonstrators maintain placards throughout a protest in help of the Palestinian Individuals in Gaza, in Parliament Sq., in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Alberto Pezzali/AP
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Alberto Pezzali/AP
LONDON — London police stated Sunday that 532 folks have been arrested the day before today when supporters of a pro-Palestinian group not too long ago outlawed as a terrorist group deliberately broke the regulation to check the federal government’s potential to implement the ban.
The Metropolitan Police Service launched the up to date figures as protestors demanding the rapid launch of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza held their very own march by central London on Sunday afternoon.
The overwhelming majority of these detained on Saturday have been arrested for displaying placards declaring their help for the group generally known as Palestine Motion. Police up to date their earlier totals and stated 522 folks have been arrested for supporting a proscribed group in violation of anti-terror legal guidelines. One other 10 folks have been arrested on a wide range of expenses, together with assaulting and obstructing law enforcement officials.
Backers of Palestine Motion staged the protest to underscore their perception that the federal government is illegally proscribing freedom of expression by banning a direct motion group that has challenged its insurance policies.
Dwelling Secretary Yvette Cooper, who oversees regulation enforcement in Britain, rejected that characterization, saying Palestine Motion was banned after committing critical assaults involving violence, important accidents and in depth legal injury.
“The correct to protest is one we shield fiercely however that is very totally different from displaying help for this one particular and slender, proscribed group,” Cooper stated in an announcement. “Many individuals might not but know the truth of this group, however the assessments are very clear, this isn’t a nonviolent group,” she added.
Cops arrest a demonstrator throughout a protest in help of the Palestinian Individuals in Gaza, in Parliament Sq., in London, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025.
Alberto Pezzali/AP
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Alberto Pezzali/AP
Police launched up to date data on the Palestine Motion protest after the entrance pages of Sunday newspapers featured pictures of aged protesters being carted off by officers.
A type of was La Pethick, an 89-year-old retired psychotherapist, who instructed the Occasions of London that she had the help of her 5 grandchildren. “We’re having our proper to peaceable protest being taken away,” she stated.
Virtually half of these arrested have been over the age of 60, in response to figures launched by the Met.
Police stated the method of deciding whether or not to file expenses in opposition to these arrested is more likely to take weeks as officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command put collectively case information and search approval from prosecutors, and in some instances the lawyer common.
Parliament voted to ban Palestine Motion after activists broke right into a Royal Air Drive base and broken two tanker planes to protest British help for the struggle in Gaza. Palestine Motion had beforehand focused Israeli protection contractors and different websites in Britain that they consider have hyperlinks with the Israeli navy.
Supporters of Palestine Motion are difficult the ban in courtroom, arguing that the federal government has violated human rights legal guidelines by in declaring the group a terrorist group.
