Palestine Action supporters arrested outside Met headquarters as police resume arrests

The Metropolitan Police arrested 18 Palestine Action supporters after announcing it would continue action against protesters supporting the banned organisation.

Police said a group of people held a protest outside New Scotland Yard in support of the banned group on Saturday afternoon.

A picture on account X shows demonstrators sitting on the steps in front of the Westminster building. Police wrote in the caption: “Arrests currently ongoing outside New Scotland Yard.”

This comes just days after the Met announced it would continue to arrest protesters holding banners supporting the banned group.

In February, the force stopped doing so after the High Court ruled that it was unlawful for the Government to ban the group.

But the Met announced earlier this week that its officers would continue to arrest protesters as an appeal against the decision was likely to take several months.

Deputy Commissioner James Harman said on Wednesday that supporting Palestine Action was still a criminal offence, adding: “We must apply the law as it is at that moment, not as it may be at some future date. We must do so consistently, without fear or favor.”

Since Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist organization last year, more than 2,700 people have been arrested for allegedly supporting the group.

Mass rallies were held across the country and demonstrators carried banners reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

While the hearings of hundreds of people accused of carrying banners have been postponed, the legal struggle continues over whether the group should be banned.

Earlier this month, Chief Justice Paul Goldspring said the cases would be postponed until the Supreme Court appealed the ban.

The ban makes participating in or supporting Palestine Action a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

A number of protests took place in London on Saturday.

Organizers estimate half a million people gathered in the city for an anti-far-right demonstration; Protesters held signs reading “No to racism, no to Trump” and “Refugees welcome” as they marched to Whitehall in the capital.