Trouble broke out this afternoon as police arrest demonstrators supporting Palestine Action - proscribed a terror group by the UK government.
Protests took place across the UK today, with some violence at Parliament Square in London as officers removed people. Scotland Yard has confirmed its officers have been arresting people on suspicion of assault.
Demonstrators took action in London, Belfast and Edinburgh, holding signs saying: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone attending the Westminster demonstration will be acting unlawfully and could face arrest.
More than 530 people were arrested at the last major protest against Palestine Action being banned, as police were seen carrying some protestors from Parliament Square into police vans.
More than 25 arrested for assaults on police officers and public order offences after DOJ protests - Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard has said that more than 25 people were arrested for assaults on police officers and other public order offences.
In a statement, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Claire Smart, who led the policing operation said: “Over the course of the afternoon, we deployed more than 2,500 officers to manage protests across the capital. The majority of protests, including the Palestine Coalition march attended by around 20,000 people, passed with very few arrests. This was not the case at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries in support of the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action.
“In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters."
Met Police arrest more than 425 at Westminster protests
The Metropolitan Police has updated its estimated arrests total, with the service saying in its latest announcement that it had arrested more than 425 people at the Westminster Palestine Action protest.
Privacy tents arrive at Parliament Square
Volunteers have brought tall privacy tents to assist protesters so they could relieve themselves without leaving their spot in Parliament Square.
As the evening grew colder, they handed out foil “space blankets” as well. Many remaining have been sitting for more than eight hours now.
Met Police doubles estimated Westminster arrest total
The Metropolitan Police said it had arrested around 300 people at the Westminster Palestine Action protest.
Police make three arrests following Edinburgh protests
Officers had made three arrests following protests in Edinburgh today, Police Scotland have said.
The service said two men, aged 67 and 82, were arrested in connection with the Terrorism Act. A 63-year-old man was arrested in connection with a hate crime. A spokesperson added in a statement that enquiries remain ongoing into a number of offences relating to the Terrorism Act.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson said: “While these protests were conducted peacefully and largely without incident, there were a number of offences identified relating to the Terrorism Act. Substantial evidence of these offences was gathered at the time which will form the basis of a post incident investigation.
“Police Scotland is a rights-based organisation and our role is to ensure public safety while balancing the rights of protesters who wish to peacefully demonstrate. Policing in Scotland has strong relationships with the public and we are grateful for the ongoing support of our communities.”
'It was going so slowly' DOJ spokesperson says
The DOJ statement goes on to claim that police have "made so few arrests" at the protest today, which they say was "going so slowly".
The DOJ spokesperson continued: “They’ve made so few arrests, it was going so slowly, I think they were probably embarrassed and maybe making this claim about violence to try and sort of deflect and change the narrative away from what the real story is here, which is that this ban is not enforceable and there’s just too many of us.
“It’s just being made a mockery of, really, by the numbers of people who are defying it and will continue to defy it until the Government drop it, and now there’s a new Home Secretary I think there’s a real opportunity for it to be dropped and this sends a strong message on her first day since her appointment that she’s inheriting this ban which is just unenforceable.”
Defend Our Juries states demonstrations were 'picture of peaceful protest'
The central London demonstration against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group has been “the picture of peaceful protest”, organiser Defend Our Juries (DOJ) has said.
A spokesperson for the campaign group told the PA news agency: “I’ve been here all day and I haven’t seen any violence or aggression from anyone.
“The people they’re arresting, it’s all people sitting here silently holding signs, a lot of elderly, many disabled people, veterans, vicars, healthcare workers in their scrubs, just like the picture of peaceful protest. I’ve only seen aggression and violence from the police.”
They added that it was an “astonishing claim” from the Metropolitan Police after the force said its officers have been “subjected to an exceptional level of abuse” at the protest.
Defend Our Juries suggests protests show Palestine Action ban 'impossible to enforce'
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries has said in a statement that today's protests have shown the ban on Palestine Action is "impossible to enforce and a preposterous waste of resources".
They said: “This shows the new Home Secretary on her first day in office that the Palestine Action ban is impossible to enforce and a preposterous waste of resources. The terrorism laws were not designed to be wielded against a domestic protest group, or to arrest thousands across civil society for holding cardboard signs."
Met Police say officers 'subjected to an exceptional level of abuse' during protests
The Met Police official social media account said in a post that its officers were subject to "an exceptional level of abuse" during the protests today.
A spokesperson for the service said: “Officers policing the Defend Our Juries protest in Parliament Square have been subjected to an exceptional level of abuse including punches, kicks, spitting and objects being thrown, in addition to verbal abuse.
“Any assaults against officers will not be tolerated and arrests have already been made. We will identify all those responsible and prosecute to the full extent of the law.”
Pictured: Clashes turn violent
Police said they made several arrests including for assault.
Demonstrator said she was 'violently shoved by police' at a legal protest
Andrea Oldereide said she was shoved by police officers while her partner was taken by cops.
Andrea, a reporter for several Mirror affiliate news sites, said she attended national Palestine march with friends and my partner and were peacefully walling before things turned violent. The reporter said they arrived at a point with counter protestors.
She revealed she and her partner joined in a "shame on you" chant before they were confronted by the police.
Andrea said: "Suddenly, police violently grabbed my partner and disappeared. I panicked and wanted to go after them, but was in turn violently shoved by another officer. When I said they were my partner, the officer further shoved me. I then showed my press card, and the officer smacked my arm away and further shoved me, this time harder.
"I had no idea where my partner was or what was happening. Fortunately, other protestors were very quick to take me in and help me. They told me they had filmed everything and gave me a list of lawyers to contact."
Andrea added that her partner later texted her to say he had been released but added that they were both "quite shaken".
She said "He was informed later that he would just be warned and that we weren’t allowed to essentially not keep on moving during a marching protest. I rule I frankly didn’t know about.
"We weren’t warned, we were just aggressively grabbed, shoved, smacked, and shouted at in a very dehumanizing way.
"I feel sad that our rights under the Geneva convention to protest weren’t respected by law enforcement. We were peacefully protesting and we were treated disrespectfully for no apparent reason."
Around 150 people arrested
The Met Police said it has made around 150 arrests at the Defend Our Juries protest for a range of offences.
These offences included assault on a police officer and expressing support for a proscribed organisation.
'Something is going very wrong', human rights campaigner says
Responding to the arrests being made at the protest, Kerry Moscogiuri, of human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK, said: "When the Government is arresting people under terrorism laws for sitting peacefully in protest, something is going very wrong here in the UK.
"It is genuinely shocking to see people being hauled from the streets of London by the police for peacefully holding up signs.
"Let’s be clear, it is disproportionate to the point of absurdity to treat people sitting peacefully in a group holding signs in support of Palestine Action as ‘terrorists’.
"Any restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim.
"Criminalising speech in this context is only permitted when it incites violence or advocates hatred. Expressing support for Palestine Action does not, in itself, meet this threshold."
Police draw their batons as clashes turn violent
Police have drawn their batons during violent clashes in Parliament Square.
One protester was seen with blood streaming down his face behind the barrier after being arrested.
Territorial Support Group officers are on the scene, sprinting out from behind the cordon to grab people before pulling them back in.
The Met Police said several people have been arrested on suspicion of assault.
WATCH: Police arrest demonstrators outside Parliament
People arrested on suspicion of assault
Scotland Yard said its officers had been arresting people on suspicion of assault at the Palestine Action protest.
The force said: "Officers continue to make arrests of individuals showing support for the proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action at the Defend Our Juries protest.
"There has been a co-ordinated effort to prevent officers carrying out their duties which has included physical and verbal abuse.
"A number of arrests have now been made for assault."
Over 500 people arrested in protest last month
532 people were arrested during the last pro-Palestine Action protest on Westminster at the start of August.
Organisers estimated around 1,500 people will show up to protests in Parliament Square today. Numbers have not been confrimed yet but police have been arresting people through the afternoon.
Police wheeling protestors away
Police are wheeling protesters behind a barrier on St Margaret Street, directly in front of Parliament.
Some of those arrested are going limp, leaving officers to drop them behind the cordon and leave them unattended as they lie on the floor.
Tensions erupt with every person arrested and brought behind the barrier as chants of "Met Police, KKK, IDF are all the same" ring out.
The corner is made up mostly of younger demonstrators, with officers focused on containing confrontations between protesters and police.
Thousands march through Belfast
Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have marched through Belfast city centre to oppose businesses deemed in support of Israel or its military operation in Gaza.
The protest wove its way through the city centre disrupting traffic and shoppers out on Saturday afternoon.
Organisers of the march led chants several businesses accusing them of supporting genocide.
Although some protesters made subtle reference to Palestine Action, there was no major reference to the group deemed a proscribed organisation by the UK Government.
Three women were seen wearing three t-shirts bearing the separate words "I Support", "Palestine" and "Action".
Protests kick off in Edinburgh
Protestors gathered outside Queen Elizabeth house in Edinburgh this afternoon.
People held up signs which said "stop arming Israel" and "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action".
Families of Holocaust survivors bring out banner
Families of Holocaust survivors have unfurled a banner in Parliament Square reading: "Holocaust survivor descendants against genocide."
Among them is London-based professor Anne Karpf, who said: "There are many Jews appalled by this.
"This weaponising of the Holocaust is unacceptable – my mother survived Auschwitz. She did not survive to see Israel carrying out genocide."
Blind man arrested at last Palestine Action protest returns
Mike Higgins, 62, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, has returned to the Parliament Square protest after making headlines last month as one of 532 people arrested at a previous demonstration.
Speaking to PA, he said: "What choice do I have? Nothing is being done about the genocide other than by us.
"And I’m a terrorist? That’s the joke of it. I've already been arrested under the Terrorism Act and I suspect I will be today.
"Of course I’ll keep coming back – what choice do I have?"
Separate protest reaches Whitehall
The Palestine Coalition planned a march today from Russell Square to Whitehall.
Speeches are due to take place and Met Police said the demonstration must end by 5.30pm.
Scottish police warn people ahead of Edinburgh protest
Police Scotland chiefs said people showing support to the banned group could face arrest.
The force said: "We know there are strong feelings towards the situation in Palestine and people continue to express their views about that through protest and demonstrations without breaking counter terrorism laws.
"The key difference is showing support for Palestine Action Group as it is an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 to be a member of a proscribed organisation or to invite or express support for them.
"This includes wearing clothing or carrying any item in public in such a way as to arouse suspicion that they are a member of, or a supporter of, a proscribed organisation."
Hundreds of people with signs supporting Palestine Action
Hundreds of protestors were seen holding placards which read: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action."
Protestors fall in crush as police force their way through crowds
Tensions are flaring in Parliament Square as police force their way through crowds carrying arrested protesters.
Several demonstrators have fallen over in a crush while water has been thrown at officers.
Meanwhile, eight police vans are parked along Great George Street ready to take away those arrested.
Officers are standing in tight formations as they guard the vehicles.
More police rush to Westminster
Scores of City of London Police have now arrived, significantly increasing the police presence in Parliament Square.
Frantic scenes were unfolding on the western side of the park as people were hauled away, in contrast to the eastern end where protesters were sitting silently with signs.
WATCH: Moment protestors detained by cops
Protestors surround group of officers
Dozens of protesters have surrounded a small group of officers in Parliament Square.
The police stood expressionless as demonstrators screamed and pointed at them, chanting: "Met Police – pick a side, justice or genocide."
Tensions were flaring as other officers had screaming arguments with protesters elsewhere in the square, with some demonstrators in tears.
There are still hundreds of protesters holding signs in Parliament Square and it is likely to take police all afternoon to remove every one of them.
Police warning ahead of protest
The Metropolitan Police has said that those showing support for the banned group face arrest, posting on social media ahead of the demonstration: "Expressing support for a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act.
"Where our officers see offences, we will make arrests."
Only 12 minutes after the protest’s official start time, the force announced: "Officers have begun making arrests for expressing support for proscribed terror organisation Palestine Action at the protest organised by Defend Our Juries."