Dozens of people were arrested at a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Saturday in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action, police said.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that 48 people had been arrested and the majority of the arrests were related to individuals expressing support for a proscribed organization.
“Officers remain at the scene and are continuing to make arrests,” it said.
More than 100 people took part in the protest, with many holding signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Some protesters could be heard applauding and chanting “free, free Palestine” when people were taken away to police vans.
The U.K. government outlawed the direct-action protest group last year as a terrorist organization. The ban makes membership in or support for Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Demonstrators also held a vigil in support of Palestine Action outside the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland, holding placards akin to those in London. No arrests were reported there, but Police Scotland said inquiries to identify people seen wearing T-shirts and holding banners showing support for a proscribed organization were ongoing.
“Evidence is being reviewed and further action will be taken as appropriate,” it said.
The protests came before an appeal on Nov. 4 at the Supreme Court against Palestine Action’s designation as a terror group. Supporters say the ban is draconian and it violates their freedom of speech.
In August, the U.S. government announced sanctions against Palestine Action, designating it as a terror group.
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, aims to stop U.K. military support for Israel, which it says is committing genocide against the Palestinians — an accusation Israel strongly denies.
The group says it aims to stop genocide by disrupting “corporate enablers of the Israeli military-industrial complex.”
In 2024, its activists broke into a factory owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems UK, smashing equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars. In June 2025, activists broke into a Royal Air Force base, sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and caused further damage with crowbars.
