Hundreds of people gather in Trafalgar Square for demonstration, as elderly woman with cane is escorted away by police. Published On 11 Apr 202611 Apr 2026London, United Kingdom – Police have begun arresting individuals during a mass vigil in central London to oppose the ban on campaign group Palestine Action.Hundreds of people gathered in Trafalgar Square for the demonstration on Saturday, with many holding signs saying, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listSeveral people were carried by police away from the demonstration. At one point, an elderly woman with walking sticks was escorted away by police.One demonstrator told Al Jazeera he was taking part because he “believed in the democracy”.“I think Britain has now descended into a non-democratic situation and I think that is very dangerous [for] free speech,” he added.Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a United Kingdom-based activist group that organised the protest, demanded that the government lift the ban on Palestine Action, and drop all charges and investigations into those who have been arrested under the Terrorism Act, for allegedly supporting the campaigners.The group said it’s also protesting against the Metropolitan Police’s U-turn on its policy to arrest people who show support for Palestine Action.Palestine Action is a direct action group which says it wants to end British complicity in Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinians.It has claimed responsibility for actions including a break-in at an RAF base, where aeroplanes were painted, and an attack on a London business it said was linked to weapons manufacturers for Israel.The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a “terrorist organisation” in July 2025, placing it in the same category as armed groups including al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. Advertisement The proscription also makes it illegal to be a member of, or express support for, the group, offences punishable by up to 14 years in prison.Eight activists linked to the network had staged hunger strikes while in prison on rema …
