The UK is bracing for a weekend of protest anarchy with both Palestine Action supporters and anti-migrant demonstrators set to take to the streets.
More than 500 people are expected gather outside Parliament at 1pm tomorrow in support of Palestine Action, defying warnings they will be charged with terror offences.
Membership of, or support for, the proscribed group is now a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Meanwhile, police up and down the country are also bracing for a series of anti-migrant protests outside hotels and council offices.
There is particular concern about a protest planned in Nuneaton which comes amid claims Warwickshire Police held back information over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl.
Restrictions have also been put in place by police across at least 12 towns and cities, including Norwich, on Friday evening.
It comes after anti-racism activists clashed with police and anti-migrant protesters outside a London hotel last Saturday where asylum seekers are being housed.
Last night, Scotland Yard issued a stark warning to people planning to attend the Palestine Action protest, saying they may never be able to visit the US or work in education if they do.
Regardless, the group behind the protest Defend Our Juries, has continued to post on its X account, saying counter-terror police had ‘irresponsibly taken down their briefing call’.
Palestine Action demonstrators may never be able to visit the US or work in education if they take part in this weekend’s protest, the Met Police have warned (file photo)
Anti-racism activists clashed with police and anti-migrant protesters last Saturday outside a London hotel where asylum seekers are being housed
Pictured: A protester held up a ‘1984’ sign criticising the Met Police at a protest in Whitehall on July 19
Defend Our Juries posted on social media that hundreds of people had attended its briefing call
It claimed last night, however, that ‘many hundreds’ of people had attended the meeting on another Zoom link.
The group has said that those taking part in Saturday’s protest will hold ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’ signs as part of a campaign to end the group’s proscription.
Defend Our Juries co-founder Tim Crosland previously praised the people who support Palestine action as the ‘moral backbone of this country’.
Mr Crosland added in an online press conference he had been ‘hearing from thousands of people wanting to take part in this action’.
‘It feels like there’s huge energy behind it,’ he said.
Meanwhile on Thursday, three people were charged with terror offences for allegedly ‘showing support for Palestine Action at a protest’.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, Judit Murray, 71, and Fiona Maclean, 53, were arrested following a protest in Parliament Square last Saturday.
They will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 16, the Metropolitan Police said.
Pictured: The aircraft at RAF Brize Norton that was vandalised after pro-Palestine supporters broke in
People believed to be migrants were seen filming and laughing from a window at the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in London
Palestine Action co-founders Richard Barnard and Huda Ammori stand outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court
The planned demonstration tomorrow has since fuelled fears of a ‘mass arrest’ event.
And today, commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter-Terrorism Command, sent a clear warning to anyone thinking of joining the rally.
He said according to The Telegraph: ‘Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.’
‘I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.’
It comes after Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan last night called on people to consider the consequences of being arrested under the terrorism act.
He said such a detention can have ‘very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances’.
Last week, Palestine Action won permission to challenge the ban after the High Court ruled it had an arguable case.
A judicial review will take place in November. Until then, the ban remains in place.
Protesters are seen facing off with police and other groups last weekend
Palestine Action spray paint over the London offices of the arms company Leonardo, which supplies fighter jets to the Israeli military, in November 2023
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy warned Brits to ‘stay away’ from a planned Palestine Action protest this weekend
The Government moved to ban Palestine Action after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in June – an incident the group said it was behind
A Palestinian flag is seen held outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London last month
There have already been 200 arrests at protests organised by Defend Our Juries since the ban came into force last month.
Days out from the planned protest, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also sought to head off potentially chaotic scenes in the capital.
She urged the public to steer clear of support for a ‘proscribed terror organisation that wishes harm on the British people’.
Speaking to Times Radio, Ms Nandy was asked if those who attend Saturday’s protest will be arrested and charged with terror offences.
The Culture Secretary stressed this would be ‘an operational matter for the police’, adding: ‘It wouldn’t be right for us to say, to try and dictate to them how they police any march.
‘But what I would say is, I think some of the reporting around this is conflating legitimate protests.
‘Just last week I was coming out of Parliament, there were lots of pro-Palestinian protesters there, peacefully demonstrating.
‘At the heart of power, that’s absolutely right and proper and important for them to do… I commend them for that.
‘There’s a difference between that and supporting a proscribed terror organisation that wishes harm on the British people.
‘And I would just urge people to stay away from those sorts of events and to exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful and legitimate way.’
