Overview
- Merseyside Police detained 66 people near the Wheel of Liverpool; two were de-arrested and 64 were bailed on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, with ages ranging from 21 to 83.
- About 100 demonstrators organised by Defend Our Juries stood silently holding signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” outside the conference venue.
- Palestine Action was proscribed in July after the group claimed responsibility for damaging two RAF Voyager planes at Brize Norton in June.
- Amnesty International condemned the operation as seriously disproportionate and warned the ban is chilling peaceful protest.
- The Liverpool arrests add to almost 1,700 detentions since 5 July, with about 138 people charged, as Labour delegates backed an emergency motion recognising a UN inquiry’s genocide finding and calling for tougher measures including an arms embargo.