UK police make record arrests at London protest backing Palestine Action

UK police have arrested more than 450 people in central London during a protest in support of Palestine Action, the group recently banned by the government.

Demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square from 1pm, holding handwritten signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

By 9pm, the Metropolitan Police, backed by officers brought in from across the country, confirmed 466 arrests for alleged support of a proscribed organisation.

The scale of detentions appears to surpass the record set during the 1990 poll tax riots, when 339 people were taken into custody.

Critics say the crackdown reflects an increasingly heavy-handed approach by the UK government towards pro-Palestinian activism.