Arrests come days after power introduced U-turn, saying that regardless of Excessive Court docket ruling, ‘terror’ ban stays in place.
Revealed On 28 Mar 2026
London’s Metropolitan Police have arrested 18 supporters of Palestine Action, days after the force promised to renew arrests in a reversal of coverage.
The protesters had sat on the steps of New Scotland Yard, the Met’s headquarters, on Saturday, holding indicators that learn: “I oppose genocide. I assist Palestine Motion.”
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Officers made the arrests beneath “terrorism” laws.
Following the Excessive Court docket’s ruling in February that banning Palestine Motion as a “terrorist group” was illegal, the power had mentioned it will undertake a “proportionate method” and cease arresting the group’s supporters and focus as an alternative on gathering proof.
However on Wednesday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman mentioned that since any “affect of that judgement is not going to take impact till the federal government’s enchantment has been thought-about, which might take many months”, it will resume arrests. “We should implement the legislation as it’s on the time, not because it is likely to be at a future date,” he mentioned.
As she was led away by two officers on Saturday, one girl, in footage posted to social media, might be heard saying: “I’m being arrested for holding a cardboard signal, whereas our authorities feels the necessity to promote weapons and use our airbases to commit genocide in Palestine.”
Critics say the Met’s U-turn defies the courtroom ruling.
Palestine Action is a direct motion marketing campaign group which has focused weapons producers linked to Israel and an RAF base.
The federal government proscribed it as a “terrorist organisation” in July 2025, inserting it alongside teams together with al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. The Excessive Court docket known as the transfer “disproportionate” and in breach of freedom of expression.
The federal government was granted a keep pending an enchantment, that means the ban technically stays in power.
House Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who said she would battle the Excessive Court docket ruling within the Court docket of Enchantment, mentioned in February that supporting Palestine Motion was not the identical as supporting the Palestinian trigger.
Chief Justice of the Peace Paul Goldspring has since ordered that a whole bunch of associated prosecutions be paused till after that enchantment is heard.
Practically 3,000 folks have been arrested for holding indicators in assist of the group, contributing to a 660 % rise in UK “terrorism” arrests within the 12 months to September 2025, Defend Our Juries mentioned.
On the day of the Excessive Court docket ruling, about 150 folks held the identical placards exterior the courtroom and not a single person was arrested.
The size of the crackdown has drawn sharp worldwide criticism, together with from the UN.
When the ban was first imposed, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk mentioned it appeared “disproportionate and pointless”, warning it risked criminalising the respectable train of free expression.
In January, US Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers instructed the information platform Semafor that “censoring that speech does extra hurt than good”.
Amnesty Worldwide, which intervened within the courtroom case, mentioned 1000’s had been “arrested for one thing that ought to by no means have been against the law.”
Eight activists linked to the group staged a lengthy hunger strike in prison, with 4 held on remand for 15 months earlier than being bailed in February. 4 others stay imprisoned.
Earlier this week, Al Jazeera reported that launched detainees are actually pursuing authorized motion towards the prisons over alleged mistreatment.
Defend Our Juries has known as a mass sign-holding occasion, titled Everybody Day, at Trafalgar Sq. on April 11, as the federal government’s enchantment heads to courtroom.
Saturday’s arrests passed off as the remainder of the town was crammed with demonstrators who got here out to march towards the far proper.
