Hundreds arrested at Palestine protest

Police in the United Kingdom arrested nearly 500 people in central London during the largest Palestine Action protest since the group was designated a terrorist organization, amid growing international concerns over Gaza's humanitarian crisis.

Hundreds of people had gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday for the demonstration organized by the UK-based civil liberties campaign group Defend Our Juries, held in support of Palestine Action.

Police in London had called on significant reinforcements from other forces around the country ahead of the planned demonstration, anticipating large-scale detentions.

London's Metropolitan Police reported that the 474 arrests it made was the largest number in a single operation in the past decade.

Activists criticized the mass arrests as excessive, arguing that peaceful demonstrations in Parliament Square should not be treated as terrorism. They insist that the government focus should shift from criminalizing protesters to addressing their concerns about Israel's actions in Gaza.

Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organization by the UK government in June after activists breached the UK's largest Royal Air Force base, RAF Brize Norton, and vandalized two military aircraft with paint. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, joining or supporting the group carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Protesters defied UK anti-terrorism laws by carrying placards reading "I support Palestine Action" in explicit support of the banned organization.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Saturday evening reaffirmed the government's decision to ban Palestine Action.

"Many people may not yet know the reality of this organization, but the assessments are very clear — this is not a nonviolent organization. UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority," Cooper said.

The Guardian newspaper quoted a spokesperson for Defend Our Juries as saying: "The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing 'terrorism' offences, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home. This is a major embarrassment to Yvette Cooper, further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law."

A European Union report issued to member states on Wednesday acknowledged Israel had made some "notable positive" steps to ease Gaza's humanitarian crisis, including restoring fuel supplies, but warned the situation there remains "very severe "with "unprecedented" devastation.

The EU report evaluated Israel's implementation of last month's agreement with the bloc to improve humanitarian access to Gaza. The deal had promised "significant "improvements in aid delivery, including increased food shipments and measures to protect aid workers.

Israel imposed a total blockade on food and essential supplies into Gaza for two-and-a-half months starting in March. Aid fl ow resumed in May following intense international pressure, but the volume Israel permits into the territory represents only a fraction of what humanitarian organizations say is required.

The United Nations has warned that famine conditions have emerged in the besieged enclave, which is home to 2 million Palestinians.

Late last month, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France's President Emmanuel Macron both said their governments will recognize the Palestinian state, unless Israel takes significant steps to defuse tensions and ease the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

From Istanbul to Geneva and Amsterdam, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have held rallies and marches in cities around the world in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza recently, demanding an end to Israel's military action and start of unrestricted aid, Al Jazeera reported.

jonathan@mail.chinadailyuk.com