Police remove protesters during mass demonstration against Palestine Action ban

Police have begun removing protesters from a mass demonstration against the ban on Palestine Action in central London.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered in Trafalgar Square with signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.

Many of the mostly elderly demonstrators sat on camping chairs and on the ground as they held up their placards on Saturday.

At the top of the square, near the National Gallery, large banners were displayed reading “Jurors deserve to hear the whole truth” and “Israel starves kids”.

Several individuals, including a man and a woman with grey hair, were carried off by officers away from the demonstration.

One elderly woman using two walking sticks was escorted by an officer away from the protest.

Protest group Defend Our Juries said the demonstration, called Everyone Day, would show the “resistance” to the ban on Palestine Action is “stronger than ever”.

The Metropolitan Police said Saturday’s action “is likely to involve offending rather than a lawful protest”.

In March, the force said officers would resume arresting suspected Palestine Action supporters, as a High Court battle over the ban on the group continues.

The police paused the arrest of demonstrators in February after the High Court ruled the UK Government’s ban was unlawful, but then decided to resume as an appeal against the ruling is likely to take several months.

Defend Our Juries said: “This issue affects everyone. From striking workers to peaceful protesters, everyone fighting for any worthy cause is at risk.

“If left unopposed, what starts with an unlawful ban on one direct action group will lead on to the removal of everyone’s rights and freedoms.”

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday, former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu said: “I think the difficulty is, when you’ve got 700 or 800 people who are willing to be arrested, that just isn’t practical. The optics of this will be very challenging for the police.

“It will present some significant difficulties for the police in terms of how they manage it and also be aware of the fact there will be a huge amount of people who have sympathy with what is going on with the views of Palestine Action.”

He added that the decision to make arrests at the protest was an operational one, based on what intelligence the officers have.

He said: “I think they wanted to give clear guidance to the police officers that will be dealing with this matter. This will be an operational decision.

“It will be based entirely on what intelligence they have, whether they have information around how many people are going to come out, what people intend to do, the kind of demonstration that they will do.”

Protesters have arranged mass rallies where demonstrators hold up signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”, aiming to overwhelm the criminal justice system with the number of cases.

More than 3,000 people have been arrested so far for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action since it was banned as a terrorist group last year, including more than 2,400 in London.

Seven people were arrested on suspicion of supporting the banned group, at an RAF base in Suffolk on Sunday, during protests against the Iran war.

In March, 18 Palestine Action supporters were arrested after staging a demonstration outside New Scotland Yard in support of the group.

The trials of hundreds of people accused of holding up the placards have been put on hold while the High Court case over the ban continues.

Proscription makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.