The law does not have an age limit, the head of the Metropolitan Police said after an 83-year-old reverend was arrested when protesters gathered to show support for Palestine Action which has been banned as a terror group. The Metropolitan Police posted on X on Saturday afternoon saying officers were responding to the demonstration in Parliament Square, London, and later added that 29 people were arrested.
The protest started at about 1.10pm and officers were seen taking people away shortly after 1.30pm. Reverend Sue Parfitt, 83, who was sat in a camp chair with placards at her feet, appeared to have been taken away by officers.
A woman seen lying on the ground in handcuffs was lifted by officers and put in a police van. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg whether it was a good use of police time after the priest was pictured being taken away from the demonstration.
He said: “The law doesn’t have an age limit, whether you’re 18 or 80. If you’re supporting proscribed organisations, then the law is going to be enforced.
“Officers, you could see, did it with great care and tried to preserve that person’s dignity, but they’re breaking a serious law. Palestine Action have over the last 18 months, I have to be careful what I say, because there’s cases coming to trial, but some really serious criminal offences that they’re accused of. There are millions of pounds worth of damage on multiple occasions. There are assaults, there are weapons used.
“It is not about protest. This is about an organisation committing serious criminality and obviously the Home Secretary was persuaded by the papers on her desk to proscribe them, that law has come into force, and if people want to defy that law, then we have to enforce it.”
Palestine Action lost a late-night Court of Appeal challenge on Friday which sought to stop the protest group being banned, less than two hours before the new legislation came into force at midnight. The designation as a terror group means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
A group had earlier said it was set to gather in Parliament Square on Saturday holding signs supporting Palestine Action, according to campaign group Defend Our Juries. In a letter to the Home Secretary, protesters said: “We do not wish to go to prison or to be branded with a terrorism conviction, but we refuse to be cowed into silence by your order.”
The move to ban the organisation was announced after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident claimed by Palestine Action, which police said caused around £7 million of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, stating that the vandalism of the two planes was “disgraceful” and that the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage”.
MPs in the Commons voted 385 to 26, majority 359, in favour of proscribing the group on Wednesday, before the House of Lords backed the move without a vote on Thursday. Four people – Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22 – have all been charged in connection with the incident at RAF Brize Norton.
They appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after being charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977.
MyLondon is bringing you the latest on court and crime incidents and you can sign up to get the stories sent straight to your phone. Through the app, we’ll send you exclusives from court, breaking news and other crime related updates in our Crimewatch Community..
To join our community, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘join community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the MyLondon team.
We also treat our subscribers to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To unsubscribe, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Click here to sign up for WhatsApp alerts.
