A protester is escorted away by police officers at a demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Parliament Square, central London, on July 19, 2025. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)
London: UK police arrested over 60 people in London and southwest England Saturday for supporting Palestine Action in a third consecutive weekend of protests over the government's decision to ban the activist group using anti-terror laws.
Some 55 people were held at a demonstration in London's Parliament Square under the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying signs supporting Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police said.
The protesters held up placards reading: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." A further eight were held in Truro in Cornwall.
Other protests were held in northwestern Manchester, western Bristol and the Scottish capital Edinburgh.
The rallies were organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries which had said they were intended to "defy" the ban.
Since the Palestine Action ban kicked in on July 5, police have warned that expressing support for the group was now a crime, after a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop its proscription becoming law.
The government announced plans for the ban under the 2000 Terrorism Act days after activists from the group claimed to be behind a break-in at an air force base in southern England.
Two aircraft there were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.55 million) in damage.
Four people charged in relation to the incident remain in custody.
Palestine Action has condemned its outlawing -- which makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison -- as an attack on free speech.
