The number of militant activists arrested at a chaotic Palestine Action protest have soared to more than 530 people.
During a day of mayhem and farce, Left-wing protesters swamped London‘s Parliament Square on Saturday in support of the organisation, which was proscribed by the Government last month as a terrorist group.
Hundreds held placards declaring ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’ in deliberate ‘idiotic’ acts of law-breaking designed to overwhelm police resources and the courts.
Last night, the Metropolitan Police announced more than 360 people had been detained following the scenes of disorder – at an estimated cost of about £3million.
Protesters were accused of a ‘colossal’ waste of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money after seemingly getting deliberately arrested by officers.
However, in an update on Sunday afternoon, the Met said the number of total arrests had skyrocketed to 532 – with 522 of these being for people allegedly displaying placards supporting Hamas.
One of those arrests took place at the form up of the Palestine Coalition march in Russell Square, but the remaining 521 arrests were carried out during the rally in Parliament Square.
There were a further 10 arrests, which included six for assaulting police officers, one for racially aggravated public order, two for breaching a Section 14 Public Order Act condition and one for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duties.
The average age of those detained by police was 54, the force said, with the youngest person cuffed by cops being aged just 17.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Met added: ‘We believe that 30 people arrested at the protest on Saturday had been arrested at previous recent protests in support of Palestine Action in London. We’re not in a position to confirm if any of those arrested had been arrested recently at protests outside London.’
Over the coming weeks, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested.
More than 850 officers were deployed on the huge operation, including 120 drafted in to bolster the Met from Wales, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
Officers endured a torrent of abuse as they made arrests, with demonstrators screaming ‘shame on you’, ‘terrorists’ and ‘fascist scum’. Violent scuffles broke out as officers attempted to lead those arrested away. The Met said none of its officers was seriously injured.
Speaking last night, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp estimated the police operation and subsequent legal costs to prosecute those arrested, including court time and legal aid, could cost taxpayers up to £3million.
However, the latest arrests could see this figure soar to more than £4million.
The cost comes on top of the more than £53million that the Met has already spent policing pro-Palestine protests in central London since the October 7 attacks against Israel in 2023.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Mr Philp said: ‘When you take into account the policing costs today and how much lengthy prosecutions and court processes will cost, the final bill for today’s idiotic stunt could be as much as £3million. This is money that could have been spent catching drug dealers, gang members, phone thieves and shoplifters.
‘Those supporting a banned organisation should feel the full force of the law. Palestine Action is a violent group that seeks to impose its views on others through force. They smash up property, vandalise RAF planes and have even attacked a police officer with a sledgehammer.
‘Those illegally supporting Palestine Action are supporting political violence.’
To prevent London’s police cells from being overwhelmed, the Met established a so-called ‘prisoner- processing point’ in nearby King Charles Street.
Under three gazebos, arrested activists were asked for their names and addresses and had their fingerprints taken. They were then bailed and told to return to a police station at a future date.
Some, however, immediately returned to the protest on Parliament Square and were re-arrested for breaching their bail conditions.
Richard Roques, 69, from London, was among the first to be arrested on the edge of Parliament Square. He had brought a placard with the words ‘I support’ written on it. At 1pm he added the words ‘Palestine Action’, prompting his arrest minutes later.
At 1.53pm he was arrested for a second time for returning to the protest and allegedly breaching his bail conditions.
Moazzam Beg, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, was also among those arrested yesterday afternoon. He had been detained by US authorities between 2002 and 2005 before his release without charge.
The protest began at 1pm on Saturday when hundreds of activists sat down and silently held the illegal placards.
Defend Our Juries, which organised yesterday’s protest, claimed that between 600 and 700 protested by holding the signs.
The Met, however, said that, while between 500 and 600 people were in Parliament Square ‘many were onlookers, media or people not holding placards’.
First to be arrested was William Hancock from Kingston upon Thames. Speaking to the MoS, he said: ‘I had a sign that said I support Palestine Action.’
He was followed by Ian Mursell, 73, from Battersea, whose arrest was witnessed by his son Phillip. Designer Theresa Jordan, 45, said she would refuse to co-operate with police as she was led away.
At 2.17pm seven officers arrested a blind man in a wheelchair who told the MoS his name was ‘Mike’. Dozens of protesters followed the officers chanting ‘no justice, no peace, no fascist police’.
One woman screamed ‘you are f****** disgusting, you are fascist scum’ at the officers.
Some activists said they had previously been arrested while demonstrating for eco-militant groups such as Just Stop Oil.
There were also ugly scenes on Whitehall as those arrested were led – and in some cases carried by their arms and legs – to the temporary processing centre, with a hostile crowd pushing and shoving officers.
A middle-aged man was pushed to the ground by officers as he fought against them. Another march, organised by separate group the Palestine Coalition, assembled on Whitehall. The Met said one person had been arrested.
Legislation to proscribe Palestine Action made it a criminal offence to show support for the organisation, carrying a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said tonight: ‘Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.’
