Metropolitan Police have arrested more than 175 individuals in central London for supporting the terrorist group Palestine Action that was banned under anti-terrorism laws and is responsible for multiple attacks.
The arrests followed protests in Trafalgar Square and at Westminster Bridge, where campaigners displayed banners reading “I oppose genocide” and “I support Palestine Action.”
The demonstration went ahead despite police and government requests to cancel it following a deadly synagogue attack in Manchester, on October 2nd in which two Jewish civilians were killed. The attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, a British man of Syrian descent, was shot dead by police, though reports indicate that two victims may have been accidentally hit by gunfire during the intervention.
The police have repeatedly urged the group to cancel the demonstration, warning that it is “drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most.”
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley emphasized that gatherings endorsing terrorist organizations divert resources from safeguarding London’s communities.
“At a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation,” he said.
Greater Manchester Police and other regional forces urged the public to consider the risks of attending such events. Both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the protest, noting its timing so soon after the Manchester attack could further distress victims’ families and the wider Jewish community.
