London’s Metropolitan Police has been accused of reversing its policy on Palestine Action protests to "retrospectively fit" arrests it has carried out in recent weeks.
Following a High Court ruling in February that found the government's ban of the direct action group to be unlawful, the police said they would refrain from arresting its supporters and people protesting against the proscription under terrorism legislation, focusing instead on gathering evidence for future prosecutions.
But in a policy u-turn, the Met issued a statement describing its previous comments as an “interim position”, saying that it has now “revised” this approach.
According to campaign group Defend our Juries (DOJ), since the High Court ruling on 13 February the Met has conducted two arrests under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act for holding signs in support of the proscribed group.
One of those protesters, who wishes to be identified by the name Ams, told Middle East Eye that she was arrested at the annual Al-Quds Day rally in London on 15 March for holding a sign that read: “I still oppose genocide, I still support Palestine Action".
