Police make 857 arrests under the Terrorism Act at yesterday’s Defend Our Juries demo 

Amnesty’s observers witnessed episodes of police aggression, including supporters of the protest being shoved away and batons being pulled out on people  

‘The scenes yesterday were a shocking demonstration of how the UK's overly broad terrorism laws are being used to suppress free speech’ - Kerry Moscogiuri 

Responding to news that police made 857 arrests under the Terrorism Act at yesterday’s Defend Our Juries peaceful protest, Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International’s Director of Campaigns and Communications, said:   

“The staggering number of arrests at yesterday’s peaceful protest marks a new low for protest rights in this country. It’s completely ridiculous for police to be targeting and arresting people for sitting down, quietly holding a sign. 

“Amnesty International deployed observers to the protest, and police claims that the protest turned violent are a misrepresentation. Our observers witnessed the Defend Our Juries protest being entirely peaceful.  

“Some supporters of the protest shouted insults at the police and a small number of them attempted to prevent the police from carrying arrestees away. This did not appear to be a coordinated effort. 

“Police officers, on a number of occasions, were aggressive towards supporters of the protest. This included violently shoving people away and pulling out batons to make space whilst protesters were arrested and hauled into police vans. 

“Peaceful protest is a fundamental right. The scenes yesterday were a shocking demonstration of how the UK's overly broad terrorism laws are being used to suppress free speech.” 

The Met Police said 890 arrests were made: 857 arrests were for showing support for Palestine Action, while 33 were arrested for other offences, including 17 for assaults on police officers.