LONDON.- London's Metropolitan Police arrested 139 people on Saturday, October 31, during a demonstration outside the US Embassy in the British capital in support of Palestine Action, the pro-Palestinian direct-action group banned in the United Kingdom under terrorism legislation.
The majority of those detained were arrested for expressing support for a proscribed organization, the force said, adding that officers remained at the scene and that more arrests were expected. The demonstration, a lunchtime "mass action" organized by the activist group Defend Our Juries, drew hundreds of people to the embassy in Battersea, south London. Many of the protesters were retirees carrying signs reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action." One protester climbed a tree outside the embassy waving a placard reading "God help us. Teachers who support Palestine. Palestine Action."
Defend Our Juries estimated that around 400 people took part and accused the police of making arrests before any signs were on display, arresting volunteers for supporting people holding signs, and arresting people for carrying blank placards. According to the organizers, more than 4,000 people have been arrested since July 2025 for defying the ban.
Palestine Action was outlawed in July 2025 after its activists broke into the Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton and damaged two military planes. Under the ban, membership in or support for the group is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In August, the United States government also imposed sanctions on Palestine Action, designating it as a terrorist organization. A separate solidarity vigil was held outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Commander Adam Slonecki, who led the operation, defended the arrests, saying that all those intending to come to the event knew that supporting a proscribed organization is unlawful and were "essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime."
The arrests came days before a Supreme Court appeal scheduled for November 4 challenging the government's decision to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.
Fuentes: Associated Press vía La Nación, 31 de octubre / 1 de noviembre de 2026; The Times of Israel, 1 de noviembre de 2026; The Jerusalem Post, 1 de noviembre de 2026; New Age, 1 de noviembre de 2026.