At least 523 people were arrested in central London on Saturday at a mass demonstration opposing the UK government’s proscription of the direct action group Palestine Action.
Over 500 protesters set up camping chairs at the foot of the steps of Trafalgar Square, displaying handmade cardboard signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
The demonstrators were met with a heavy police presence, with vans lining the square hours before the vigil began.
The protesters - many of them grey-haired and frail - were seen being hauled away, while some were led leaning on crutches. A number of the demonstrators were dressed as Suffragettes, early women’s rights activists.
One woman appeared to faint as she was being carried and was put into the recovery position while surrounded by police.
