Great Britain London: Riots and arrests at pro-Palestinian demonstration
Tumultuous scenes broke out at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London. Around 150 people had been arrested by early evening, according to the Metropolitan Police.
06.09.2025, 19:20
SDA
Hundreds had gathered for a protest march through the borough of Westminster and rallies in the square in front of Parliament to demonstrate against the ban on the group Palestine Action. In some cases, there was reportedly aggressive behavior towards police officers.
Palestine Action was classified as terrorist at the beginning of July after activists invaded an airbase and sprayed Royal Air Force planes with paint. They accused the British government of supporting Israel with tanker planes in the Gaza war and, according to their own statements, wanted to disable the planes by spraying paint on the engines. The British government rejected the group's allegations and announced that it would take tough action.
Fierce legal battle to challenge the ban
The police are treating demonstrators who explicitly oppose the ban as terror supporters. In the UK, membership or support of a terrorist organization is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
According to media reports, more than 700 people have been arrested for this so far. One of the founders of Palestine Action wants to take legal action against the terror classification. Whether the ban can be challenged is currently the subject of a bitter legal dispute.
Critics of the ban see it as an inadmissible restriction of freedom of expression, because even a debate about it is being nipped in the bud. They also argue that although the group has carried out acts of sabotage, it has never advocated violence against people. The demonstrators arrested as terror supporters are also mostly harmless; some of them are pensioners.
