An estimated 1,500 people in London have taken part in one of the largest acts of mass civil disobedience in British history, to protest the ban on Palestine Action. The Metropolitan Police arrested just over half of them, in what has been described as a “huge embarrassment” for commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.

At around 8:30pm on Saturday, a DoJ spokesperson said: “This is a huge embarrassment for Sir Mark Rowley, who claimed the Met would arrest every person who held a sign saying ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’. They have failed to arrest the majority of sign holders and it’s no wonder – there are simply too many people who oppose this utterly dystopian ban and the government’s complicity in Israel’s genocide to arrest us all.”

An officer told Novara Media that anyone holding a sign breaking the proscription could simply put it away and leave. People were not searched on the way out, no kettle was in place and protesters were witnessed walking away with their signs in full view.