Police in central London have arrested 200 people for supporting the banned group Palestine Action, and four for assaulting officers, during a demonstration organized by Defend Our Juries.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday for the event.
The Metropolitan Police stated they would arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
Scotland Yard reported that 200 arrests had been made by 3.40pm for displaying support for a proscribed organization, “with more to follow.”
An additional four arrests were made for assaults on police officers.
According to police, the detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area. Those whose details were confirmed were bailed, subject to conditions preventing them from attending further protests supporting Palestine Action.
The Met added that individuals who refused to provide details, or whose information could not be verified, were taken to custody suites across London.
At 1pm, the crowd, seated on the grass in Parliament Square, was observed writing “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” on white placards, with the majority remaining silent.
A small group of demonstrators carrying placards with messages such as “Palestine Action terrorises Britain while Hamas hides in hospitals, schools and mosques” briefly walked through the crowd before being escorted away by police.
Other groups of protesters, not holding placards, congregated around the Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela statues, singing pro-Palestinian chants.
Police officers were seen individually detaining demonstrators seated on the edge of the grass, escorting them through the crowds to police vans parked around the square.
Another group of officers attended to a protester lying near the fenced-off Emmeline Pankhurst statue.
Later, officers started arresting protesters sitting in the center of Parliament Square.
The police lifted protesters, both sitting and lying down, from the ground before escorting them away.
Onlookers applauded the protesters and shouted “Shame on you” at the arresting officers.
At 2pm, the protesters who remained seated in the middle of Parliament Square stood up together and held their placards in the air.
One person was also arrested at a separate Palestine Coalition march, which was en route from Russell Square to Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand.
Scotland Yard confirmed that the arrest was “for a placard showing support for Palestine Action”.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, being a member of or supporting Palestine Action is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Earlier this week, the first three individuals charged with supporting Palestine Action in England and Wales were identified.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, Judit Murray, 71, and Fiona Maclean, 53, have each been charged with displaying an article in a public place that aroused reasonable suspicion that they were a supporter of a proscribed organization, following their attendance at a prior demonstration last month.
Hundreds have been arrested during widespread Defend Our Juries protests across the UK since the ban was implemented by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last month.
A Home Office spokesperson stated: “The Home Secretary has been clear that the proscription of Palestine Action is not about Palestine, nor does it affect the freedom to protest on Palestinian rights.
“It only applies to the specific and narrow organisation whose activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across the country who continue to exercise their fundamental rights to protest on different issues.
“Freedom to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and we protect it fiercely.
“The decision to proscribe was based on strong security advice and the unanimous recommendation by the expert cross-government proscription review group.
“This followed serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.”
