British authorities announced plans to grant police expanded powers to restrict repeated protests following the arrest of nearly 500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators in London’s Trafalgar Square on Saturday. The arrests occurred during a protest supporting Palestine Action, a group recently designated as a terrorist organization.
The Home Office revealed that new legislation will be introduced through amendments to the Public Order Act, allowing senior police officers to impose conditions on protests based on their “cumulative impact.” These powers would enable authorities to relocate or ban demonstrations that repeatedly occur at the same location and cause disorder.
Saturday’s mass arrests came after police and lawmakers urged organizers to cancel the “Lift the Ban” protest, which followed closely on the heels of a Manchester synagogue attack that killed two people on Yom Kippur. However, organizers from Defend Our Juries refused, arguing that “canceling peaceful protests lets terror win.”
Among the 493 arrested were several elderly activists, including Elizabeth Morley, a 79-year-old daughter of a Holocaust survivor detained for the third time, and Reverend Sue Parfitt, an 83-year-old Anglican priest. Video footage showed elderly demonstrators and people with disabilities being arrested, including a blind man with a mobility cane and individuals in wheelchairs. Many carried signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Since Palestine Action received its terror designation in July, over 2,000 people have been arrested at similar demonstrations nationwide. The group, which aims to disrupt weapons manufacturers supplying Israel, was proscribed after activists broke into Britain’s largest air base and damaged military aircraft. Previous “Lift the Ban” protests saw 890 arrests in September and 532 in August, with nearly half of those detained being over 60.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood defended the new measures, stating that repeated protests leave religious communities, particularly Jewish people, “feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.” The Metropolitan Police indicated that arresting protesters supporting a designated terrorist organization diverts resources from protecting the Jewish community.
Civil liberties organizations have sharply criticized the proposal. Tom Southerden of Amnesty International UK called it “ludicrous,” questioning whether the government believes people should only be allowed to protest its decisions a limited number of times. Liberty, a British human rights organization, argued that police already possess extensive powers to restrict protests and that additional authority would undermine rights without improving safety.
Critics warn that applying terrorism laws to Palestine Action sets a dangerous precedent for protest rights and freedom of speech. In response to the government’s announcement, Defend Our Juries condemned it as an “extraordinary new affront to our democracy” and announced plans for “mass civil disobedience” leading up to November’s court hearing challenging the ban.
The proposed legislation must be debated and approved by parliament before becoming law, with implementation expected “as soon as possible” according to the Home Office.
