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London police arrested at least 200 people on Saturday during a protest in Parliament Square in support of Palestine Action, a group recently banned under the UK’s anti-terror laws.
The demonstration was the largest of its kind since the group was outlawed in early July.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests and stated they were confident that everyone who came to the square with signs expressing support for the group was either arrested or in the process of being detained.
Organisers of the protest, however, claimed that only a “fraction” of the hundreds of attendees were arrested, a claim the police denied.
The government banned Palestine Action after several of its members allegedly caused £7 million in damage to aircraft at an air force base.
The UK’s interior ministry said the group was also suspected of other “serious attacks” involving violence and extensive criminal damage.
In response, critics, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, have condemned the ban as an overreach of power and a threat to free speech.
The protest was organised by a group called Defend Our Juries, which vowed to continue its actions, with a new wave of protests planned for September.
Under the new law, being a member of or supporting Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The first charges for supporting the group have already been filed in both England and Wales, as well as in Scotland.
A court challenge against the government’s decision to ban the group is scheduled for later this year.
