About half the protesters arrested under the UK’s terrorism law over expressing support for Palestine Action at a weekend sit-in rally in London are over 60, police have revealed.
The group has been designated a terrorist organisation but its supporters staged a protest in Westminster to openly defy the law and run the risk of arrest.
London's Metropolitan Police says 532 people were arrested after displaying placards, and also released their ages.
Of those detained, 147 are 60-69 and 97 are 70-79, with 15 falling into the 80-89 category.
Supporters of the banned group will “feel the full force of the law”, a justice minister said, while a former counter-terrorism officer suggested many supporters will be unaware of the group's actions or plans.
But while the public are unaware of the precise details, Palestine Action has been designated a terror group because of three violent acts, the UK Prime Minister’s official spokesman has said on Monday.
“Palestine Action was proscribed [as a terrorist group] based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage,” he told a briefing of Lobby journalists on Monday.
This followed an assessment from the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre that had concluded Palestine Action “committed three separate acts of terrorism”, he said, speaking in Downing Street.
While much of the intelligence had been provided in closed court proceedings but there had been “robust evidence” from the security services, police and experts that met the threshold required under the Terrorism Act of 2000, he added.
“The reality of this organization is that those assessments are very clear that this is not a non-violent organisation.”
He also cited “national security” concerns to explain why the evidence of its terrorism has not been made clear to the wider public.
The increasing spread of ages suggests Palestine Action has gained traction with people beyond the typical protest movement.
The decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism legislation was taken by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in protest against Britain's support for Israel.
Among those arrested was Jonathon Porritt, 75, an environmentalist who is a former adviser to prime minister Tony Blair and King Charles III.
In a post on X, he wrote: “Very privileged to be amongst those arrested yesterday in Parliament Square – supporting Defend Our Juries' campaign to have the ban on Palestine Action lifted. An astonishing moment. Opposing genocide is NOT terrorism. Yvette Cooper made to look an authoritarian idiot.”
The Met said 30 people arrested at the protest on Saturday had also been apprehended at recent rallies in support of Palestine Action in London.
Counter-terrorism officers will work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested.
The Met said securing a charge for an offence under the Terrorism Act is a distinct process, which in some instances not only involves approval of the Crown Prosecution Service, but also the Attorney General.
Neil Basu, former deputy commissioner of the Met and its head of counter-terrorism, said the decision to proscribe Palestine Action would have been based on intelligence over its intentions that cannot be revealed.
“Proscribing a group is a very high bar, so there will be intelligence to suggest this is a violent group that is planning more violent protest,” he told the BBC.
“But it will be the case that governments that can’t always tell us the public absolutely everything that goes towards the intelligence case.” People who will continue to go out and support Palestine Action just need to understand that they are committing a very serious criminal offence and they don’t yet know the full facts.”
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones said anyone supporting a "terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law" and places in prison will be made available for anyone convicted.
“With regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful," she said. "They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft.
"We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the UK, and there are other reasons, which we can't disclose because of national security. But they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law."
Palestine Action has been allowed to legally challenge the decision to designate it a terrorist group.
