London demo urges government to drop ban on Palestine Action

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - More than a thousand people rallied in central London on Saturday demanding the British government to lift its ban on Palestine Action group, with chants condemning police arrests and the mounting death toll in Gaza.

Gathered at Trafalgar Square, demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and signs while chanting pro-Palestine slogans.

Some banners read "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action," and "Lift the ban."

The protest came after Defend Our Juries (DOJ), the organizing group, said earlier this week that more than 1,500 people had pledged to attend.

Metropolitan Police officers made several arrests during the rally as of 2 pm local time (1300GMT), as they did during similar protests in the past two months in which hundreds of people were detained.

"The absurd proscription was a huge political misstep that has led to over a thousand people arrested for sign holding. It must be lifted," DOJ said on US social media company X.

Meanwhile, a banner drop on Westminster Bridge ahead of the Trafalgar Square protest, read: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

Palestine Action was banned in July under the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, a decision that has led to the arrests of hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters for holding signs or showing support for the group.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to health authorities in the enclave, and leading to a famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.