Mass Arrests at London Protest Draw Amnesty International Criticism

Published: 19th July 2025 — The English Chronicle Desk

Amnesty International has expressed deep concern after London police arrested 474 people during a pro-Palestine demonstration in Parliament Square. The protest, which took place on Saturday, was organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries, and was attended by an estimated 700 participants.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that 466 of those detained were arrested under the Terrorism Act for showing support for Palestine Action, an organisation that was officially proscribed on 5 July. Under UK law, supporting a banned group is a criminal offence, and officers said a “significant number” of demonstrators were carrying placards endorsing the group.

Eight additional arrests were made for other alleged offences, including five for assaulting police officers. The Met described the operation as the largest mass arrest it has conducted in at least the last ten years. Detainees reportedly included former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, NHS workers, members of the Quaker religious community, and even a blind wheelchair user.

Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the scale of the arrests. “The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence, and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists,” Deshmukh said. “Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the government should be focusing on taking immediate and unequivocal action to stop Israel’s genocide and end any risk of UK complicity in it.”

In response, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the police action, insisting that the right to protest was not in question, but that the demonstration had crossed a legal boundary. “The right to protest is one we protect fiercely, but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation,” she said. “Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries, and extensive criminal damage.”

According to police, those whose identities were confirmed were released on bail under the condition that they refrain from attending any future events in support of Palestine Action. Others who refused to provide their details, or whose identities could not be verified, were transported to custody suites across London.

The arrests have sparked debate about the limits of protest in the UK, the interpretation of anti-terror laws, and the balance between national security and the right to free expression.