UK authorities arrested almost 900 people at a rally in central London opposing the government’s ban on Palestine Action, in one of the largest mass detentions in recent years. Police said most were held on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, while organisers accused officers of heavy-handed tactics against a peaceful crowd.

How Police Framed the Operation

The Metropolitan Police reported 890 arrests on Saturday, including 857 for suspected support of a banned group and 33 for assaulting officers and other public-order offences. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart said, “You can express your support for a cause without committing an offence under the Terrorism Act or descending into violence and disorder, and many thousands of people do that in London every week.”

Organisers Reject Claims of Violence

Defend Our Juries, which coordinated the rally, said participants included “vicars and priests, war veterans and descendants of Holocaust survivors,” and accused police of “smearing” demonstrators to justify mass arrests. The group said video showed officers using batons and forcefully detaining protesters; police said officers faced “co-ordinated” aggression.

Protests were also held in Belfast and Edinburgh; Police Scotland said two men, aged 67 and 82, were arrested and charged with terror offences, and a third, 63, with a hate-crime offence.

Courtroom Fight Over the Ban

A legal challenge to the proscription is moving forward. A July High Court judgment allowed co-founder Huda Ammori to pursue aspects of the case, while ministers have won permission to try to block the appeal route to overturn the ban. The broader deproscription process sits with the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC).

Wider Debate on Protest and Security

Critics argue the mass detentions mark an escalation in the policing of dissent, while authorities say enforcement is necessary where support for a proscribed group is suspected or where violence occurs. Recent demonstrations linked to the ban have also seen large numbers of arrests under counter-terrorism legislation.