UK police arrest almost 900 protesters at pro-Palestine Action rally

Organisers accidental detained demonstrators see ‘vicars and priests, warfare veterans and descendants of Holocaust survivors’.

Authorities successful London person arrested astir 900 radical during a protest successful enactment of the banned radical Palestine Action, constabulary say.

The caller tally, announced connected Sunday, highlights the strict attack that constabulary person taken against the demonstrators, who organisers insisted were nonviolent.

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The Metropolitan Police said they arrested 890 people connected Saturday, including 857 connected suspicion of showing enactment for a proscribed group. Thirty-three others were detained for allegedly assaulting officers and different nationalist bid offences.

Defend Our Juries, the run radical that organised Saturday’s protest, rejected constabulary claims that the demonstrators were violent.

“Among the 857 arrestees were vicars and priests, warfare veterans and descendants of Holocaust survivors, retired teachers and healthcare workers,” the radical said successful a statement.

It accused the constabulary of making “many mendacious claims and attempts to smear the protesters” to warrant arresting bid demonstrators with signs that read: “I reason genocide – I enactment Palestine Action.”

“While the Met has failed to supply immoderate grounds backing up their claims, video footage intelligibly shows the Met violently arresting people, wielding their batons and pushing radical to the ground,” Defend Our Juries said.

“We’re nonviolent, however astir you?”

The Press Association quality bureau reported that constabulary drew batons during clashes with protesters. Officers forced their mode done the assemblage portion carrying arrested demonstrators and were seen successful shouting confrontations with demonstrators.

Water and integrative bottles were thrown astatine police, the bureau said, portion respective protesters fell successful a crush. One antheral was photographed with humor streaming down his look aft being arrested.

Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Claire Smart said officers had faced “co-ordinated” violence.

“You tin explicit your enactment for a origin without committing an offence nether the Terrorism Act oregon descending into unit and disorder, and galore thousands of radical bash that successful London each week,” she said successful a statement.

Rallies were besides held successful Belfast and Edinburgh. Police Scotland said 2 men, aged 67 and 82, were arrested and charged with “terror” offences portion a 3rd man, 63, was charged with a hatred crime.

The protests are the latest successful a question of demonstrations against the UK government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action nether the Terrorism Act 2000.

The group, which has targeted arms factories and different sites linked to weapons exports to Israel, was banned aft it claimed work for spraying 2 Voyager refuelling and transport planes astatine a subject basal with reddish paint.

Being a subordinate oregon expressing enactment for Palestine Action is present a transgression offence punishable by up to 14 years successful prison.

In July, United Nations quality rights experts raised concerns astir what they called the “unjustified labelling of a governmental protestation question arsenic terrorist”, arguing that “acts of protestation that harm property, but are not intended to termination oregon injure people, should not beryllium treated arsenic terrorism”.

Meanwhile, the Home Office is appealing a High Court ruling allowing Palestine Action’s cofounder Huda Ammori to prosecute a ineligible situation against the ban.

Ammori launched proceedings against the determination by erstwhile Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to proscribe the group, arguing the determination unlawfully criminalised governmental dissent.

The play protests were held arsenic Israel is intensifying its assault connected Gaza, which academics, starring rights groups and UN experts person described arsenic a genocide.

According to UK media reports, British forces person been flying surveillance drones implicit Gaza successful enactment of Israeli operations.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies