Dictatorship: United Kingdom activates "anti-terrorism law" and arrests 890 people in pro-Palestinian protests.

World Opera - London's Metropolitan Police acknowledged, in a statement published this Sunday (07/09), that it arrested a total of 890 people during pro-Palestinian demonstrations held in London the previous day.

The statement also clarifies that the action was supported by a measure adopted by the British government, which invoked the Anti-Terrorism Act during the event, alleging that the event had been infiltrated by the Palestine Action movement, considered a "terrorist group" by the local government.

The statement generated controversy because the convening and organization of the event was officially taken over by another group, called Defend Our Juries, which claims to fight for the freedom of expression of Palestine Action against what it considers the British government's "zeal for censorship."

According to the London police, at least 857 of those arrested have been identified as members of Palestine Action, based on information gathered from their social media accounts, and another 33 were arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers during the protest.

In a social media post, Defend Our Juries cited the case of a visually impaired man named Mike Higgins, who was allegedly arrested by police under the Anti-Terrorism Act, accused of involvement with Palestine Action.

The post includes a video in which Higgins says, “We have no choice but to protest in the streets for our rights to freedom of action and expression and to engage in peaceful civil disobedience to stop the arms trade. But we also have a duty to oppose genocide and to alert the government for doing nothing to stop it.”

“We continue selling weapons to Israel, allowing Israel to negotiate in various ways, instead of freezing its assets. I believe we have no choice but to be here to defend our right to freedom of expression. But, more importantly, in my opinion, even more important than that, and this is vital, is to end the genocide in Palestine as quickly as possible,” the protester concluded.

The photo of Higgins holding a sign stating his support for Palestine Action and his condemnation of the genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians residing in Gaza was used in the post to call for a new demonstration in favor of the pro-Palestinian group, scheduled for October.

"Join others like Mike in October as we continue to call on the government to lift the ban and end its complicity in genocide," the post reads.

Government measure

The decision to declare Palestine Action a terrorist group was made official in July of this year and has caused controversy in the United Kingdom.

Lawyers linked to the collective challenged the ban in court and obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court which, at least theoretically, allowed the event to take place this Saturday, while the case continues to be evaluated by the highest court in the British judicial system – the next hearing on the matter is scheduled for September 25.