London, United Kingdom - October 05, 2025 The Metropolitan Police have confirmed 488 arrests during a protest in Trafalgar Square, where participants defied the government’s ban on Palestine Action. The vigil began on October 5th at 1 p.m. and continued for six and a half hours, with the final arrests taking place at 7:30 p.m. The latest arrests bring the total number detained for challenging the ban to more than 2,000 since it was introduced on July 5, 2025. Those arrested included Elizabeth Morley, a 79-year-old Jewish daughter of a Holocaust survivor; Muhammad Rabbani, Managing Director of CAGE International; and Reverend Sue Parfitt, an 83-year-old Anglican priest. Elderly and disabled protesters were also detained, including a blind man and two people using mobility wheelchairs. Each person held a sign reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” The large-scale police operation involved 1,500 Metropolitan officers — around 70% of the force’s public order capacity — along with 400 additional officers from other regions, including Northern Ireland. Amnesty International’s Patrick Corrigan criticised the deployment, saying it was “astonishing to see police resources used to arrest pensioners holding cardboard signs.” Defend Our Juries condemned the arrests as “an extraordinary affront to democracy,” accusing the Labour Government of “criminalising those trying to save lives in Palestine.” The organisation announced a “major escalation” in defiance of the ban, with mass civil disobedience planned between November 18 and 28 ahead of the High Court review. Green Party leader Zack Polanski called the crackdown “a grim and dangerous overreach,” while Labour MP Richard Burgon described it as “absurd,” urging the government to “immediately overturn” the ban. Despite the arrests, Defend Our Juries vowed to continue, declaring the ban “unenforceable” and stating, “There are simply too many thousands of people who refuse to accept this unjust law.”