More than 50 people have been arrested in central London as tens of thousands marched in support of Palestine, days after the UK formally designated the Palestine Action activist group as a "terror" organisation.
Despite heavy rain, demonstrators filled the streets of Westminster on Saturday, waving flags, chanting and holding hand-written signs referencing Palestine Action, which was proscribed under Terrorism Act 2000 earlier this month.
Police said 55 people were detained under Section 13 of the Act, which bans the display of support for a proscribed organisation.
Officers intervened within minutes of the protest’s start, arresting individuals carrying placards and banners. Some were carried away by police, while others were handcuffed and led from the scene.
One person was arrested for chanting words. “Likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress,” according to the Metropolitan Police.
The protest marked the third consecutive weekend of pro-Palestine demonstrations in the capital. Authorities said 70 people were detained in previous protests around Parliament Square.
'Our spirits fly higher than F-35s'
Addressing the crowd, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot said: "We will rise again, yes, wounded but never broken. Our spirits fly higher than F-35s. To the people of Gaza, look at the millions of the world standing for you, fighting for you. We will remain in our land, we will rebuild Gaza."
He added: "Israel has made Gaza a test lab for genocide. What are we without shared humanity? What have they become? Those enablers of genocide, they still sell arms. Shame on you."
Labour MP Richard Burgon also condemned the protest crackdown: "We are going anywhere until justice is done. They are clamping down on the right to protest. History, justice, international law is on our side. We will secure free Palestine."
The protest follows the UK’s July 5 decision to formally proscribe Palestine Action, a group known for direct-action campaigns targeting arms companies linked to Israel’s military.
Co-founder Huda Ammori sought a legal injunction to suspend the ban pending a judicial review, but the High Court denied the request.
Rights groups have criticised the government's move, warning it could criminalise peaceful dissent. Supporters of the ban argue that the group's actions pose serious safety and security risks.
Israeli genocide in Gaza
Israel has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in its carnage in the blockaded enclave so far.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Over the course of the genocide, Israel has reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins, and practically displaced all of its population.
It has also blocked the entry of desperately needed humanitarian aid, and only allowed a controversial US-backed aid group that was established to bypass the UN aid work and condemned as a "death trap."
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
