Arrests follow demonstration outside embassy
Close to 50 people were detained during a demonstration in support of Palestine Action outside the US Embassy in south-west London, after police warned that protesters and those helping to organise the event could face arrest.
Images from the protest showed officers carrying demonstrators away and placing them on police buses. Other protesters were pictured lying or sitting in front of a bus as a substantial police presence remained at the scene.
The demonstration began at 1pm and had been expected to attract about 400 people. It was called in support of Palestine Action and demanded that the Government lift its ban on the group, which is proscribed.
| Key detail | Reported information |
|---|---|
| Location | US Embassy, south-west London |
| Start time | 1pm |
| Expected attendance | About 400 people |
| Arrests | Close to 50, according to the Metropolitan Police |
Police warning extended beyond placard holders
Met Commander Adam Slonecki said officers would not limit enforcement to people holding signs in support of the group. He warned that those involved in the organisation of the protest, giving instructions or providing logistical assistance could also be arrested.
“All those intending on coming to this event know that supporting a proscribed organisation is unlawful – they are essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime.”
The warning had been issued before the protest began. Police said people attending were aware that expressing support for a proscribed organisation was unlawful, while organisers said demonstrators would display signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.
The Metropolitan Police later confirmed that almost 50 people had been arrested. Officers were continuing to deal with the demonstration as protesters were taken away, and the force’s presence was visible around the embassy.
Retired lawyer among those detained
Among those attending was Charles Allison, a 75-year-old retired lawyer who travelled almost 300 miles from his home in Cumbria, north-west England, to join the protest.
He said he had attended because he feared for civil liberties. Mr Allison was taken away by two police officers shortly before 1pm after being told he posed a “threat”.
“I decided that I ought to try and do something, and this is the little bit that I’m doing.”
He said he was concerned that civil liberties were being “devalued and watered down”, including under the new Labour Government. Although dejected, he said he was encouraged by the number of people who had come to demonstrate.
Dispute centres on the group’s proscription
The protest comes amid a continuing legal and political dispute over Palestine Action’s designation as a proscribed organisation. Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstration, has been urging supporters to attend and to make their opposition to the ban public.
The group’s supporters argue that the protest is about opposition to the ban and the ability to criticise Government policy. Police, however, said that support for a proscribed organisation is an offence and that officers would act where they believed criminality was taking place.
The competing positions put the Metropolitan Police at the centre of a difficult balance: allowing a public demonstration to proceed while enforcing restrictions connected with the organisation’s legal status. The arrests outside the embassy show how quickly that conflict moved from warnings to police action.
Police resources and public order
The operation also placed a large number of officers around a diplomatic site in south-west London. Protesters were carried to buses as the demonstration continued, with officers dealing with people who had sat or lain in the road in front of them.
Commander Slonecki said the event required police resources that would otherwise be available to neighbourhoods and local communities. The warning was directed not only at potential demonstrators but also at people considering a supporting role behind the scenes.
- The demonstration began at 1pm outside the US Embassy.
- About 400 people were expected to attend.
- The Metropolitan Police confirmed close to 50 arrests.
- Officers said organisers and people providing logistical support could also face enforcement action.
The arrests are likely to intensify scrutiny of how the proscription is applied at public demonstrations, particularly where protesters say they are expressing opposition to Government policy rather than endorsing violence. For those detained, the immediate issue was the police action outside the embassy; for organisers and supporters, the protest was part of a wider challenge to the ban.
