LONDON: Arrests for terrorism offenses in the UK have spiked by a massive 660 percent year-on-year due to support for Palestine Action, new government figures show.
The pro-Palestine group was listed as a terrorist organization and banned in July. Now any public demonstration of support for the group is outlawed, and hundreds of protesters — who have used the slogan “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” — opposing the ban have been arrested in recent months, with the act now an offense under UK anti-terrorism legislation.
Of the 1,886 arrests in the year up to September for terrorism-related activity, 1,630 — or 86 percent — were linked to support for Palestine Action, government data released on Thursday shows.
In the previous year, 248 arrests were made in relation to incidents falling under anti-terrorism laws.
Among those arrested for supporting Palestine Action, protesters were 4.4 times more likely to be female, and were remarkably older, on average, than people typically arrested for alleged terror offenses.
