At least 523 people were arrested in central London on April 11 at a mass demonstration opposing the UK government’s proscription of the directaction group Palestine Action, reported Middle East Eye.Over 500 protesters set up camping chairs at the foot of the steps of Trafalgar Square, displaying handmade cardboard signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”The demonstrators were met with a heavy police presence, with vans lining the square hours before the vigil began.
The protesters, many of them grey-haired and frail, were seen being hauled away, while some were led leaning on crutches. A number of the demonstrators were dressed as Suffragettes, early women’s rights activists.The sight has been a familiar one over the last year, with over 1,600 people arrested under the terrorism legislation for holding the same signs since the ban was introduced in July 2025.
Brother and sister, Mark and Betty, both in their 70s, had travelled from Wales and Cornwall, respectively, to join the vigil. Both had previously taken part in local protests, but this is the first time they have attended one in London.
The latest arrests come after a ruling by the High Court in February, which found the government’s ban on the group to be unlawful.Multiple rights groups have warned that the ban constitutes a misuse of counterterrorism legislation and risks undermining human rights such as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.