UK says it will restrict repeated protests after 500 arrests at pro-Palestinian vigil

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LONDON (AP) — British police will get stronger powers to restrict repeated protests, the government said Sunday, after almost 500 people were arrested at a demonstration in support of a banned pro-Palestinian group.

The Home Office said police forces will be able to consider the “cumulative impact of frequent protests” on local areas when they impose conditions on marches and demonstrations.

“The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. “However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbors to live their lives without fear. Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been held regularly since the start of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry that is part of the Hamas-run government. The U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, but some people say they have allowed antisemitism to spread. Some Jews say they feel threatened by chants such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” A handful of pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested for supporting Hamas, which is banned in the U.K.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters have frequently accused critics of Israel or its conduct of the war in Gaza of antisemitism. Israel’s detractors see it as an attempt to stifle even legitimate criticism.

British police and politicians had urged protesters to stay home this weekend after Thursday's attack on a synagogue in Manchester that left two Jewish men dead. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that organizers should “recognize and respect the grief of British Jews this week” and postpone.

But on Saturday, about 1,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest against the banning of Palestine Action, a direct-action group that has vandalized British military planes and targeted sites with links to the Israeli military. It has been labeled a terrorist organization by the government, making support for the group illegal.

Critics say the government is restricting free speech and the right to protest.

Police officers carried away a number of people who sat silently holding signs that said, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” Police said they made 488 arrests for supporting the outlawed organization, and a handful for other offenses.

More than 2,000 people have now been arrested at protests since Palestine Action was proscribed in July, and more than 130 charged with terrorism offenses.

Defend Our Juries, the group that organized Saturday’s demonstration, said the government's “extraordinary new affront to our democracy will only fuel the growing backlash to the ban.”

The war in the Palestinian enclave was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Southern Israel that left more than 1,200 people dead and 251 others taken hostage. The Palestinian militant group said Saturday it was willing to return all remaining hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, and the bodies of the dead in accordance with U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.

Hundreds of people waving Israeli and British flags rallied in London and Manchester on Sunday to mark two years since Oct. 7, demand the hostages' release and mourn the victims of the synagogue attack.

Mahmood, the home secretary, said she was worried about the state of community relations in Britain, amid a “rising tide of antisemitism” and other forms of hatred.

“There are clearly malign and dark forces running amok across our country,” she told Times Radio.

Police said they were treating a suspected arson attack on a mosque on England’s south coast as a hate crime. No one was injured in the fire Saturday at the Peacehaven Community Center, which damaged the front door of the building and a car outside.