139 arrested in six hours at Palestine Action protest in London

London Metropolitan Police arrested 139 people within six hours at a protest that began at 13:00 local time (16:00 TSI) outside the US Embassy in Nine Elms. According to Anadolu Agency, police announced on X platform that arrest operations were continuing.

Defend Our Juries, the group organizing the action, shared on social media that a total of 400 people participated. Protesters carrying signs reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action" staged a sit-in and came into confrontation with police.

The group noted that some activists were arrested despite carrying blank signs, and that even inanimate dummies brought to the protest were confiscated.

Palestine Action was designated as a banned organization in the UK in July 2025 due to actions aimed at halting the operations of companies doing business with Israel. The ban process was initiated by then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. An action in June 2025 in which activists entered RAF Brize Norton and sprayed red paint on military aircraft engines had preceded this process.

On February 13, the UK High Court found the ban unlawful and ordered it lifted; however, due to the government's right of appeal, the ban remains effectively in force. Under English law, supporting a banned organization carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years.