More than 425 arrested at Palestine Action protest as Met Police 'subjected to exceptional level of abuse'

The Met confirmed more than 425 people were arrested in relation to the protest. The majority of these arrests were made for supporting a proscribed organisation which is an offence under the Terrorism Act.

The force said throughout the demonstration there was a "coordinated effort to prevent officers from carrying out their duties" which escalated to violence.

Officers were punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them.

More than 25 people have been arrested for assaults on police officers and other public order offences.

Many participants were seen holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.

Violent clashes broke out amongst some protestors as tensions rose through the afternoon.

Chants of “shame on you”, “you’re supporting genocide” and others referencing former officer and murderer Wayne Couzens could be heard from the crowd.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Claire Smart, who led the policing operation said: “Over the course of the afternoon, we deployed more than 2,500 officers to manage protests across the capital.

"The majority of protests, including the Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 people, passed with very few arrests.

"This was not the case at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action."

She added: “Our role in the context of protest remains as it always has been – to police without fear or favour, to enforce the law, and to ensure those exercising their right to protest can do so safely. Where a group advertises that they intend to commit crimes, we have a duty to respond accordingly.

“The tactics deployed by supporters of Palestine Action in their attempt to overwhelm the justice system, as well as the level of violence seen in the crowd, required significant resource which took officers out of neighbourhoods to the detriment of the Londoners who rely on them.”

But a Defend Our Juries (DOJ) spokesperson called it an “astonishing claim” from the police.

They said: “I’ve been here all day and I haven’t seen any violence or aggression from anyone.

“The people they’re arresting, it’s all people sitting here silently holding signs, a lot of elderly, many disabled people, veterans, vicars, healthcare workers in their scrubs, just like the picture of peaceful protest. I’ve only seen aggression and violence from the police.”

“They’ve made so few arrests, it was going so slowly, I think they were probably embarrassed and maybe making this claim about violence to try and sort of deflect and change the narrative away from what the real story is here, which is that this ban is not enforceable and there’s just too many of us,” they added.

“It’s just being made a mockery of, really, by the numbers of people who are defying it and will continue to defy it until the Government drop it, and now there’s a new Home Secretary I think there’s a real opportunity for it to be dropped and this sends a strong message on her first day since her appointment that she’s inheriting this ban which is just unenforceable.”

There were frantic scenes in the area throughout the afternoon, as officers drew their batons during clashes, forced their way through crowds carrying arrested protesters and had screaming arguments with demonstrators.

One protester was seen with blood streaming down his face and several others fell over in a crush at one point.

A man, who appeared to be in his 50s, unfurled an Israeli flag in front of demonstrators, sparking a scuffle as protesters tried to seize it.

Police rushed in and escorted him away as a small crowd followed, calling him a “baby killer”, “paedophile” and “Zionist”, and chanting “arrest him now”.

Protesters also gathered for a separate demonstration in the capital organised by the Palestine Coalition – which includes the groups Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop the War – while rallies were held in Belfast and Edinburgh.

Palestine Action was banned as a terror organisation in July after the group claimed responsibility for an action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.

The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court ruling allowing Palestine Action’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, to proceed with a legal challenge against the Government over the group’s ban.

Ms Ammori took legal action against the department over then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, which made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.