British police arrested 66 individuals on Saturday during a rally in London in support of Palestine Action, which was recently designated a terrorist organization by the UK government, JNS reports.
According to a statement by the Metropolitan Police, most of those detained were suspected of breaching counter-terrorism laws by expressing support for a proscribed organization. Officers had warned protesters that such acts were unlawful under British law before making arrests.
This marks the second consecutive week that protests in support of Palestine Action have been held in Britain. Last week, over 70 individuals were apprehended across the United Kingdom during the protests.
The protest took place just two days before a scheduled court hearing, where Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, is expected to seek judicial permission to challenge the Home Office’s decision to outlaw the group.
The UK officially banned Palestine Action on July 5, after an overwhelming vote in the House of Commons passed the measure 385 to 26. The House of Lords subsequently endorsed the decision, and a legal attempt to halt the ban was rejected by the Court of Appeal.
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.
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.