442 arrested at pro-Palestine Action protests in London

At least 442 people were arrested in central London during demonstrations backing the proscribed group Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

The protests, organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries, drew around 1,000 people to Trafalgar Square despite government warnings and calls to postpone following Thursday’s deadly synagogue attack in Manchester. The government outlawed Palestine Action in July, making public support for the group illegal.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged protesters to respect the grief of Britain’s Jewish community, while Jewish figures also condemned the timing. However, Zoe Cohen, a Jewish member of Defend Our Juries, said she mourned both the Manchester victims and Palestinians killed in Gaza, adding: “If today’s vigil had been cancelled we would have been letting terror win.”

The Met Police deployed 1,500 officers, with the majority of arrests made at Trafalgar Square. Six people were also detained earlier for unfurling banners on Westminster Bridge reading “I oppose genocide” and “I support Palestine Action”. Police said many protesters refused to leave voluntarily, requiring groups of officers to carry them out.

A separate protest blocked Whitehall before being redirected under Public Order Act conditions. Police said they had raised concerns beforehand about the strain on resources during a period of heightened security.

Defend Our Juries defended the demonstrations, accusing the government of wasting resources on enforcing what it called an “absurd and ridiculous ban” on Palestine Action.