Dozens have been arrested throughout the UK during protests in support of banned Palestinian group operations
LONDON (AP) – British police arrested dozens of people on Saturday for supporting a banned Palestinian rights group as protests against the government’s decision to ban the group’s third weekend.
Waving the placard, reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine’s actions”, protesters gathered in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Londonderry and Truro.
On June 20, militants broke into the Royal Air Force Base of Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to protest Britain’s military support for the Israeli-Hamas war, and the government banned Palestine. The radicals sprayed red paint into the jet engines of two giant tanker aircraft and caused further damage to the crowbar.
Parliament passed legislation earlier this month to designate the Palestinian operation as a terrorist organization, meaning members of the organization or support for its operations can now be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison.
Police announced an increase in presence in central London ahead of the protests, saying they would protect the right to peaceful protests, but would act quickly if protesters violate the law.
“Those who believe this is an opportunity to test the scope of the law by expressing support for Palestinian operations, whether in independence protests or as part of the Palestinian League protests, will likely commit crimes and will likely be arrested,” Deputy Assistant Assistant Commissioner Ade Adekan said in a statement released Thursday.
Supporters of the Palestinian operation are challenging the ban, and the London High Court is scheduled to consider the case on Monday, according to the campaign panel’s defense.
Nearly 100 protesters were arrested across the country on Saturday, including 55 in London, the jury that defended us said in a statement.
In London, police surrounded the protesters, gathered on the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, located in the park opposite the Parliament Building. Police seized the placards and searched the arrested person’s luggage.
Video posted online shows police took an elderly man away from a demonstration in Cornwall city of Truro while shouting “I’m against genocide.”
