London [UK], September 7: London police have arrested at least 150 protesters during violent clashes at a rally calling on the United Kingdom's government to lift a ban on the Palestine Action group.
Defend Our Juries, the campaign group that organised the rally on Saturday, said about 1,500 people participated in the demonstration outside the UK Parliament in London, risking arrest under terrorism laws.
"Met police brutally attack protesters and throw them to the ground, whilst they mass arrest others for holding cardboard signs which say: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action'," Defend Our Juries posted on X along with a video depicting the clashes.
The Press Association, a UK news agency, reported that police drew their batons during the clashes, and one protester was seen with blood streaming down his face behind a barrier after being arrested. The agency also reported that police had screaming arguments with demonstrators and had water and plastic bottles thrown at them while several protesters fell over in a crush at one point.
London's Metropolitan Police confirmed that about 150 people had been arrested for a range of offences, including assaulting a police officer and expressing support for a proscribed organisation.
"Officers policing the Defend Our Juries protest in Parliament Square have been subjected to an exceptional level of abuse including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, in addition to verbal abuse," the Met said on X.
The protests are the latest in a series of rallies denouncing the UK government's decision in July to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The ban came after members of the group broke into an air force base in southern England the previous month, causing an estimated $9.4mn of damage to two aircraft.
Membership in or support for the group, which is supported by prominent figures like bestselling Irish author Sally Rooney and Massive Attack singer-songwriter Robert Del Naja, is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Source: Qatar Tribune
