More than a hundred people have been arrested in central London on suspicion of supporting a proscribed group, police have confirmed.
Some 117 individuals were detained outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday, where judges ruled the ban of Palestine Action as a terror group was lawful.
Protesters were seen being carried away by officers, some holding signs which read: “I support Palestine Action.”
Inside the court, five Court of Appeal judges said the group’s proscription, which began on 5 July last year, was a “justified and proportionate” interference on freedom of expression rights.
Monday’s decision overturned the judgment of three judges at the High Court, who ruled in February that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to ban Palestine Action was unlawful, after a legal challenge from the group’s co-founder, Huda Ammori.
The ban made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and has remained in force as the Home Office attempted to challenge the ruling.
Among the protesters escorted or carried away by police was an elderly woman wearing dark blue scrubs and a sign which said “retired doctor” on her chest.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the Court of Appeal’s judgment that the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was lawful.
“This means that expressing support for the organisation remains a criminal offence and officers will arrest those who break the law.
“Officers policing a protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice today, Monday, June 15, arrested 117 people on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organisation.”
Since Palestine Action was proscribed, more than 3,000 people have been arrested on suspicion of supporting the group by the Met.
Two more people were arrested by City of London Police at a protest outside the Old Bailey on Monday.
