More than 425 people have been detained by police, many elderly and disabled, during an ongoing protest against the UK government’s decision to ban the direct action group Palestine Action.

A separate protest took place in Edinburgh, where three people were arrested.

In London, over 1,000 protesters gathered in Parliament Square, waving Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and holding placards reading “I oppose genocide.”

Many demonstrators, some visibly elderly, wrote messages of support for Palestine Action on scraps of paper or placards before police moved in.

The group, known for targeting companies linked to Israel’s arms trade, has been banned under terrorism legislation — a decision that rights campaigners say represents an unprecedented attack on political dissent in the UK.

Witnesses said Metropolitan Police officers surrounded protesters and carried them individually to waiting vans. Each arrest was met with chants of “shame on you” from the crowd.

Several of those detained were reported to be elderly, including family members of Holocaust survivors who had joined the protest.

Among those detained was British army veteran Steve Masters, who was removed from his wheelchair and carried away by officers.

Mass arrests

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that 150 people had been arrested by 5pm, later revising the figure upward as the evening went on.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Smart said 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.

“In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters,” added Smart.

The protest organiser, Defend Our Juries, disputed the police’s account on X: “The reality: the police are punching their way through the crowds to mass arrest peaceful protestors for holding cardboard signs.”

Despite the arrests, hundreds remained in Parliament Square in a show of solidarity.

On social media, people shared footage of the police arrests. 

Article picture: People take part in a Palestine Action ‘Lift The Ban’ protest outside Queen Elizabeth house in Edinburgh