139 arrested in pro-Palestinian protests in London

Police have arrested at least 139 people in London, the UK capital, during a protest against the banning of the Palestinian Action organization. Hundreds of people took part in the protest in front of the US embassy on Saturday (October 31).

This information was reported by Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera in a report .

The report said that Palestine Action is listed as a 'terrorist organisation' under UK law. The decision to ban the organisation came into effect in July last year during the government of then Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Before the protest, the police had warned people not to participate in the rally. However, hundreds of people ignored the warning and joined the protest.

In a post on social media X on Saturday evening, London's Metropolitan Police said 139 people had been arrested in the incident, up from 48 earlier in the day. Most of those arrested were charged with expressing support for banned organisations.

Labour MP John McDonnell criticised the police's statement. In a post on X, he said that protesting against a government decision to ban an organisation does not automatically mean that a person is supporting the organisation and has committed an arrestable offence.

He also said that he believes the government made a mistake in deciding to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.

Saturday's protest comes ahead of an appeal to the UK Supreme Court challenging the legality of the group's ban, which is due to be heard next Wednesday.

The decision to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in the UK has sparked intense debate, with critics claiming the move is part of a wider effort to suppress pro-Palestinian voices.

The ban places Palestine Action on the UK's list of banned organisations, which also includes organisations such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).