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Over 20 arrested for supporting Palestine Action, police

say

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UK has proscribed the group as a terrorist organisation

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Separate protest at Pride parade stops Cisco's ( CSCO ) float

(Adds response from Youth Demand in paragraph 10)

By Muvija M

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) - British police arrested over

20 people on suspicion of terrorism offences after they showed

support for the newly banned Palestine Action group in London on

Saturday, hours after the proscription came into effect.

The government moved to ban Palestine Action under

anti-terrorism laws last month after its activists broke into a

Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against

what the group said was Britain's support for Israel.

Late on Friday, the campaign lost an urgent appeal against

the parliamentary vote to proscribe it as a terrorist

organisation, with the ban coming into force from midnight.

Under UK laws, offences include inviting support, expressing

approval, or displaying symbols of a banned group and are

punishable by up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine. Britain

has proscribed 81 groups under anti-terrorism laws, including

Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS.

On Saturday, supporters gathered in Parliament Square in

Westminster, some holding placards that said "I OPPOSE GENOCIDE.

I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION." Sky News footage showed some being

led away in handcuffs from a statue of Indian independence hero

Mahatma Gandhi in the square, as they shouted their support.

United Nations experts have accused Israel of carrying out

"genocidal acts" against Palestinians in the conflict in Gaza,

which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked

Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has repeatedly dismissed such

accusations.

PRIDE PARADE PROTEST

Palestine Action has targeted Israel-linked companies in

Britain in its protests, with interior minister Yvette Cooper

saying that violence and criminal damage have no place in

legitimate protest and that the group's activities justify

proscription.

Critics of the decision, including some United Nations

experts and civil liberties groups, have argued that damaging

property does not amount to terrorism.

At another protest on Saturday, five pro-Palestinian

activists from the Youth Demand group were arrested after they

threw red paint over U.S. company Cisco's ( CSCO ) truck, which

was participating in London's Pride parade, and glued themselves

to the vehicle. The parade, which celebrates lesbian, gay,

bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, has since resumed,

a separate police statement said.

"Young people will not accept ... crimes against

humanity," Youth Demand's statement - which did not mention

Palestine Action - said. It added that its activists targeted

Cisco's ( CSCO ) float as the company supplies "technology that is

helping Israel."

Cisco ( CSCO ) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

for comment outside of business hours.