Metropolitan Police reported 488 arrests during a mass protest at Trafalgar Square, where crowds gathered on October 5 to defy the government’s ban on Palestine Action. The demonstration began at 1 p.m. and lasted six and a half hours, with arrests continuing until 7:30 p.m.

The latest detentions bring the total number of people arrested for opposing the ban to more than 2,000 since it was enforced on July 5, 2025. Those taken into custody included 79-year-old Holocaust survivor’s daughter Elizabeth Morley, CAGE International’s Managing Director Muhammad Rabbani, and 83-year-old Anglican priest Reverend Sue Parfitt.

Police detained several elderly and disabled protesters, including a blind man and two individuals in mobility wheelchairs. Each carried a sign that read, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

The operation deployed 1,500 Metropolitan officers — around 70% of the force’s public order units — along with 400 additional officers from other regions, including Northern Ireland.

Amnesty International’s Patrick Corrigan criticized the response, calling it “astonishing to see police resources used to arrest pensioners holding cardboard signs.”

Defend Our Juries labeled the arrests “an extraordinary affront to democracy,” accusing the Labour Government of “criminalising those trying to save lives in Palestine.” The group announced plans for “a major escalation” of civil disobedience from November 18 to 28, before a High Court review of the ban.