Update — 466 arrested at London Palestine Action Protest

In an unprecedented crackdown, 466 people have been arrested in London under the UK’s Terrorism Act following a mass protest in support of the recently banned activist network Palestine Action.

The demonstration, which drew hundreds to Parliament Square on Saturday, 9 August 2025, was organised as a deliberate act of civil disobedience against the government’s decision to proscribe the group earlier this summer. Protesters openly held placards reading “I support Palestine Action” and “Opposing genocide is not terrorism,” defying laws that make such displays punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Metropolitan Police officers moved quickly to detain anyone publicly showing support for the group, citing the Terrorism Act 2000. Those arrested include individuals who refused to provide their identities and were taken into custody across multiple London stations. Others were released on bail with strict conditions prohibiting further protest activity.

The arrest figure—now at 466—marks the largest single enforcement action since the ban came into effect. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International UK, have condemned the move as a “gross abuse of state power” and an assault on the right to peaceful protest.

The ban on Palestine Action followed a high-profile incident in June in which activists vandalised two RAF Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton with red paint, accusing the UK of facilitating arms supplies to Israel. A legal challenge to the ban is expected later this year.

If