A total of 532 people were arrested during a large policing operation in central London yesterday (Saturday, 9 August).
Police said the majority of arrests – 522 – were for displaying a placard in support of Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Officers confirmed that 263 of those arrested were male, 261 were female, and eight either defined themselves as non-binary or did not disclose their gender.
One arrest took place at the start of the Palestine Coalition march in Russell Square, while the remaining 521 arrests were made in Parliament Square.
There were a further ten arrests:
- Six for assaults on officers, with no serious injuries reported
- One for obstructing a constable in the execution of duty
- Two for breaching Section 14 Public Order Act conditions
- One for a racially aggravated public order offence
The average age of those arrested was 54. Police said 30 people had previously been arrested at recent Palestine Action protests in London.
In total, 320 people were dealt with at prisoner processing points and released on bail with conditions not to attend future demonstrations linked to Palestine Action. Another 212 were taken to custody suites, with 18 still in custody on Sunday afternoon.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “We are as confident as we can be that none of those who returned to Parliament Square re-joined the protesters who were holding placards.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
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