Arab News | Dozens arrested at Labour conference protest supporting Palestine Action

LONDON: At least 50 people were arrested on Sunday outside the Labour Party conference in the British city of Liverpool during a protest supporting the banned group Palestine Action, police said.

More than 250 demonstrators gathered outside the conference center earlier in the day, many holding homemade signs reading, “I support Palestine Action,” the BBC reported.

The protest was organized by Defend Our Juries.

Dozens of officers initially monitored the demonstration before moving in to make arrests.

Police warned participants that displaying signs in support of a proscribed organization could be illegal, then asked whether they intended to continue. Officers led some demonstrators away after telling them they were being arrested under the Terrorism Act.

Merseyside Police said those detained were arrested on suspicion of wearing or carrying an article in support of a proscribed organization, according to the BBC.

A police spokesperson said the force respected the right to lawful protest while seeking to preserve public order and safety. Officers had made “detailed and coordinated plans” for such events to apply the law “consistently, fairly and proportionately,” the spokesperson said.

Police stressed that not everyone at the protest was suspected of committing an offense.

Among those detained was Margaret Owen, a 94-year-old human rights barrister.

The arrests drew criticism from Amnesty International, which called them a “shameful attack on freedom of speech.”

Kerry Moscogiuri, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, said the arrests illustrated what she described as an expanding crackdown on protest rights.

“Protesting is one of the most effective tools we have to make our leaders listen to us, but we have seen consecutive governments crack down on our right to do it,” Moscogiuri said in a statement.

“The arrests of grandparents, teenagers and everyone in between for holding placards outside the Labour Party conference are a truly shameful attack on freedom of speech.”

She called on the new prime minister to reform protest laws to protect the right of communities to demonstrate.

Defend Our Juries also condemned the arrests and urged the government to overturn the ban on Palestine Action. A spokesperson told AFP the proscription was “illogical, unsustainable and immoral,” citing public opposition and the policing resources required to enforce it.