UK police say more than 500 people arrested in pro-Palestinian events over weekend

LONDON (AP) — London police said Sunday that 532 people were arrested the previous day when supporters of a pro-Palestinian group recently outlawed as a terrorist organization intentionally broke the law to test the government’s ability to enforce the ban.

The Metropolitan Police Service released the updated figures as protesters demanding the immediate release of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza held their own march through central London on Sunday afternoon.

The vast majority of those detained on Saturday were arrested for displaying placards declaring their support for the group known as Palestine Action. Police updated their earlier totals and said 522 people were arrested for supporting a proscribed organization in violation of anti-terror laws. Another 10 people were arrested on a variety of charges, including assaulting and obstructing police officers.

Backers of Palestine Action staged the protest to underscore their belief that the government is illegally restricting freedom of expression by banning a direct action organization that has challenged its policies.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who oversees law enforcement in Britain, rejected that characterization, saying Palestine Action was banned after committing serious attacks involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.

“The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organization,” Cooper said in a statement. “Many people may not yet know the reality of this organization, but the assessments are very clear, this is not a nonviolent organization,” she added.

Police released updated information on the Palestine Action protest after the front pages of Sunday newspapers featured photos of elderly protesters being carted off by officers.

One of those was La Pethick, an 89-year-old retired psychotherapist, who told the Times of London that she had the support of her five grandchildren. “We are having our right to peaceful protest being taken away,” she said.

Almost half of those arrested were over the age of 60, according to figures released by the Met.

Police said the process of deciding whether to file charges against those arrested is likely to take weeks as officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command put together case files and seek approval from prosecutors, and in some cases the attorney general.

Parliament voted to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two tanker planes to protest British support for the war in Gaza. Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in Britain that they believe have links with the Israeli military.

Supporters of Palestine Action are challenging the ban in court, arguing that the government has violated human rights laws by in declaring the group a terrorist organization.