London [UK], September 8: Authorities in London have arrested nearly 900 people during a protest in support of the banned group Palestine Action, police said.
The new tally, announced on Sunday, highlights the strict approach that police have taken against the demonstrators, who organisers insisted were nonviolent. The Metropolitan Police said they arrested 890 people on Saturday, including 857 on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed group. Thirty-three others were detained for allegedly assaulting officers and other public order offences.
Defend Our Juries, the campaign group that organised Saturday's protest, rejected police claims that the demonstrators were violent.
"Among the 857 arrestees were vicars and priests, war veterans and descendants of Holocaust survivors, retired teachers and healthcare workers," the group said in a statement.
It accused the police of making "many false claims and attempts to smear the protesters" to justify arresting peace demonstrators with signs that read: "I oppose genocide - I support Palestine Action."
"While the Met has failed to provide any evidence backing up their claims, video footage clearly shows the Met violently arresting people, wielding their batons and pushing people to the ground," Defend Our Juries said.
"We're nonviolent, how about you?" (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
