LONDON (Dispatches) – An 83-year-old retired priest has been arrested for defying a newly enforced ban on pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, just hours after the group was formally outlawed by the UK government.
The Reverend Sue Parfitt, from Bristol, was detained for holding a placard that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” She was among more than 27 people arrested on Saturday for acts of defiance against the proscription.
Parfitt’s arrest has sparked widespread outrage on social media. One user called it “the march of authoritarianism & crackdown on freedom of speech & expression,” while another questioned whether it was now illegal to call her “a hero.”
Police detained more than two dozen demonstrators in London for supporting Palestine Action, just hours after the activist group was banned in the United Kingdom.
“A total of 29 arrests were made during this afternoon’s protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. They remain in custody,” the Metropolitan Police wrote on X.
In an earlier statement, the police force said the protesters were detained “on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000”.
“They have been taken into custody. Palestine Action is a proscribed group and officers will act where criminal offences are committed,” it added.
Campaign group Defend Our Juries announced in an earlier statement that a priest and a number of health professionals were among those detained. 
The protesters had held cardboard signs, reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
“We commend the Counter Terrorism police for their decisive action in protecting the people of London from some cardboard signs opposing the genocide in Gaza and expressing support for those taking action to prevent it,” a Defend Our Juries spokesperson stressed.
Passersby condemned the arrests as police intervened in the demonstration at around noon local time (11:00 GMT).