The Metropolitan Police chief has said he is “shocked and frustrated” at a planned protest in support of Palestine Action in London on Monday.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said while the right to protest is essential, “actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest”.
It comes as the home secretary is understood to be preparing a written statement to put before Parliament on Monday to proscribe the group, effectively labelling it a terrorist organisation.
Last Friday, Palestine Action activists allegedly broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed two military planes with red paint in protest of the UK’s support of Israel over the Genocide in Gaza.
The planned protest in central London is supported by 35 groups including various other pro-Palestinian groups such as the Stop the War Coalition, Cage and Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND).
Rowley said that until the group is proscribed, the Met had no legal power to prevent the protest taking place.
“We do, however, have the power to impose conditions on it to prevent disorder, damage, and serious disruption to the community,” he added, saying “breaches of the law will be dealt with robustly”.
Public Order Act conditions have been imposed on the protest by the Metropolitan Police.
This means the protest can only take place between 12:00 and 15:00, and protesters cannot gather in the “exclusion zone” which covers much of Westminster – stretching from Millbank to Whitehall.
On Twitter, Palestine Action confirmed the protest would take place at 12:00 in Trafalgar Square, outside of the exclusion zone.
The protest had been expected to take place outside Parliament, before the exclusion zone was announced.
In an earlier post on social media, Palestine Action said “the political establishment rush to call us ‘terrorists’, whilst they enact the worst crimes against humanity”.
Palestine Action has previously targeted arms companies since the start of the current war in Gaza, with the group claiming responsibility in May for the daubing of a US military plane in Ireland.
Mr Farouky said the group’s “whole reason for being is to break the material supply chain to genocide” and said Friday’s incident was an “escalation in tactics because the genocide has escalated”.
Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide relating to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the incident at RAF Brize Norton as “disgraceful”. Counter-terrorism police are investigating the break-in at the base.
