Over 70 individuals were apprehended across the United Kingdom on Saturday, during a second week of protests sparked by the designation of Palestine Action as a proscribed terrorist group, Sky News reported.
In central London, the Metropolitan Police reported 42 arrests stemming from demonstrations in Parliament Square. Protesters gathered silently beneath the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, displaying cardboard signs with the message, "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."
Eyewitnesses observed officers searching bags, taking identification, and physically removing demonstrators into waiting police vans. Of the 42 arrests in London, 41 were specifically for showing support for a proscribed organization, with one individual also arrested for common assault.
Simultaneous demonstrations and arrests occurred in other major UK cities, according to Sky News. Greater Manchester Police confirmed 16 arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 following a protest in St Peter's Square. South Wales Police similarly arrested 13 individuals in Cardiff's Central Square on suspicion of offenses under the same act. In Leeds, West Yorkshire Police made one arrest on suspicion of demonstrating support for Palestine Action.
The proscription of Palestine Action renders membership or support for the group a criminal offense, carrying a potential sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
The proscription received parliamentary approval last Thursday and was upheld by a High Court in London the next day.
The government announced its intention to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000, following an incident where activists from the group breached an air force base in southern England. During the incident, two aircraft were defaced with red paint, resulting in an estimated £7 million in damages.
Palestine Action has previously targeted British companies with links to Israel, notably including the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems.
The group also previously defaced a painting of Lord Balfour at Trinity College Cambridge, spraying the portrait with red paint and slashing it.
In another incident, Palestine Action members stole two busts of Israel’s first President, Chaim Weizmann, from a glass cabinet at Manchester University.