Police vow to make arrests if mass pro-Palestine Action protest goes ahead in London

Yahoo

17 hours ago

The Metropolitan Police has warned protesters showing support for Palestine Action at a planned mass demonstration this weekend will face arrest.
The force issued the warning as organisers said they were 'very confident' at least 500 people would attend the planned protest in central London on Saturday against the Government's decision to ban the organisation last month.
A campaign group has denied the mass protest will try to overwhelm the police and justice system.
A formal announcement will be made on Tuesday as to whether the 500 protesters target set by organisers has been reached and the demonstration will go ahead.
More then 200 people were arrested at a wave of protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month, as part of the campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries.
Many of the protesters were detained after writing and holding up the message 'I oppose genocide I support Palestine Action' on placards or pieces of cardboard.
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson told the PA news agency: 'It is wrong to characterise this (planned demonstration) as a plan to overwhelm the police and court systems.
'If we are allowed to protest peacefully and freely, then that is no bother to anyone.'
In a further statement on its website, the campaign group said the Government had 'overreached itself' by banning Palestine Action and it was 'vital' that its campaign succeeded.
'Our groups and movements are coming together like never before, finding unity under repression,' it added.
'By refusing to give into fear and by standing together, we will face down this assault on us all.'
No location for the protest has so far been shared, but it is understood that it will take place in London and will be the only demonstration that Defend Our Juries organises on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police said it would have 'the resources and processes in place to respond' to the planned large gathering.
A force spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system.
'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests.
'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality.
'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription.
'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.'
Those interested in joining the demonstration have been asked to come to briefing calls on Tuesday or Thursday, while some have had non-violence training arranged for them, Defend Our Juries said.
The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident it subsequently claimed, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying that the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
A High Court ruling on Wednesday decided that Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori had several 'reasonably arguable' beliefs in her challenge over the group's ban that would be heard at a three-day hearing in November, but a bid to pause the ban temporarily was refused.
The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.