London police arrest 48 as hundreds protest Palestine Action ban

What the report says

London police arrested at least 48 people on Saturday after hundreds gathered outside the US embassy to protest the UK’s ban on Palestine Action, according to Al Jazeera. The demonstration took place in the capital as well as in Edinburgh, and came days before a Supreme Court appeal scheduled for Wednesday that challenges the group’s proscription under UK law.

Al Jazeera reported that the Metropolitan Police said most of the arrests were for showing support for a proscribed organisation, and that officers remained at the scene as detentions continued. The article said the protest was the first major rally against the ban since the current government took office in July, and that the proscription has remained controversial among critics who see it as part of a broader clampdown on pro-Palestinian activism.

The report also noted that similar protests took place outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, with no arrests reported there. Demonstrators in both cities carried signs opposing genocide and backing Palestine Action. Organisers from Defend Our Juries said the latest arrests brought the total detained since July 2025 to more than 4,000, a figure cited in the article.

Al Jazeera also quoted criticism from Labour MP John McDonnell and Amnesty International UK, both of whom questioned the ban and urged the government to reverse it. The case matters because it sits at the intersection of protest rights, counterterrorism law and the ongoing political dispute over Palestine solidarity activism in the UK.