More than 40 arrested at London protest in support of banned group Palestine Action

LONDON (AP) – More than 40 people were arrested Saturday at a protest in central London against the Palestine Action group being proscribed a terrorist organization by the government following a break-in and vandalism at a Royal Air Force base.

The Metropolitan Police said 42 people had been arrested by late afternoon. All but one of the arrests were for showing support for a proscribed organization, which police have said includes chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos. Another person was arrested for common assault.

It was the second straight week protesters gathered to support the pro-Palestinian activist group. Its outlawing has meant support for the organization is deemed a criminal offense. Police arrested 29 people at a similar protest last weekend.

Two groups gathered underneath both the statues of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and South Africa’s first postapartheid president, Nelson Mandela, in Parliament Square.

Signs with the wording “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” were held aloft in silence as the protesters were surrounded by police officers and members of the media.

Some demonstrators could be seen lying on top of each other on the ground as police searched their bags and took away signs.

Officers could then be seen carrying away a number of protesters who were lying down, lifting them off the ground and into waiting police vans parked around the square.

Other demonstrations were also planned across the U.K. on Saturday, including in Manchester, Cardiff and Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The official designation earlier this month of Palestine Action as a proscribed group under the Terrorism Act 2000 means that membership in the group and support for its actions are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Some 81 organizations are already proscribed under the U.K. act, including the militant groups Hamas and al-Qaida.

The government moved to ban Palestine Action after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, England, on June 20, damaging two planes using red paint and crowbars in protest at the British government’s ongoing military support for Israel in its war in Gaza.

Police said that the incident caused around 7 million pounds’ ($9.4 million) worth of damage.

Four people between 22 and 35 years old were charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the U.K. The four are scheduled to appear on July 18 at the Central Criminal Court.