More than 500 people were arrested during a pro-Palestine demonstration in London on Saturday in support of the banned group Palestine Action, according to police.In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said, “523 people were arrested today for showing support for a banned organisation.”Earlier in the day, authorities had already detained more than 200 protesters at a sit-in demonstration in Trafalgar Square held in support of the Palestine action, which is banned in Britain. Police were seen removing the activists from the area while other protesters clapped and cheered. Participants held placards in support of the group, leading to further arrests.Palestine Action was classified as a terrorist organization in July last year, making becoming a member of it or expressing support for it a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In February, the London High Court launched a legal challenge to the ban, ruling that it interferes with the right to free speech. The government has since been given permission to appeal that decision.Following the High Court decision, the Metropolitan Police temporarily halted arrests, but confirmed later in March that enforcement would resume.Since the group was banned, there have been nearly 3,000 arrests, mostly of people holding placards in support of Palestine Action, and hundreds of people now face charges.One of the protesters, Denis McDermott, 73, of Edinburgh, said he had been arrested earlier but was released without hesitation. “I’m a supporter of these great people,” he said, pointing to fellow protesters, adding that if the court process had been decisive “there would have been no need for all this”.Organizers Defend Our Jury said around 500 people took part in Saturday’s protest, which it described as “the UK government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its misguided crackdown on peaceful protests at home”.He also alleged that police were making arrests “despite the High Court ruling the government’s ban on the group was unlawful, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful”.The ban put Palestine Action on a list of banned organizations that also includes Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah, and has sparked widespread reaction.A judge has now halted all trials involving individuals accused of supporting Palestine action, and scheduled a full review of the cases for July 30.Founded in 2020, Palestine Action says its aim, according to its now-blocked website, is to end “global complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid regime.”The group has primarily targeted weapons facilities, particularly those associated with Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems.