Couple in wheelchairs detained by police during Palestine Action protest in London

A couple in two wheelchairs have been detained by police during a protest in central London in support of banned group Palestine Action.

Frank, 77, and his wife Jean told Metro they had been arrested under the terrorism act after joining thousands of people in Parliament Square this afternoon.

Metro saw the pair begin to smile and laugh as they were surrounded by police, before taken away moments later.

One woman said: ‘It seems they’ve arrested the wheelchair users first. We’ve all been sat on the pavement by the square and they targeted us first.’

The Metropolitan Police is being approached for comment.

The square is filled with Palestine, flags, banners, and support of the cause and keffiyehs.

At 1pm, demonstrators sat silently holding signs reading ‘ I oppose genocide. I support Palestine action.’

Others were seen sitting calmly, eating sandwiches and smiling away in the sunshine.

Chants of ‘shame’ were heard as Metro witnessed one man, who was sitting silently and holding a sign, being dragged away by police.

‘He was just holding a sign!’ one protester yelled in response.

Today’s protest is much larger than the one last month, where dozens of protesters were detained for holding the signs in support of Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation in the UK.

Only 12 minutes after the protest’s official start time, The Metropolitan Police said: ‘Officers have begun making arrests for expressing support for proscribed terror organisation Palestine Action at the protest organized by Defend Our Juries.’

Defend Our Juries (DOJ) said the action was planned on condition of at least 1,000 people pledging support, but claimed hundreds more planned to take part, with a boost in support after a number of activists involved in organising the protests were arrested under terror laws.

Attendees are expected to refuse street bail, requiring more people to be taken into custody, and they plan to go ‘floppy’, forcing officers to physically carry them away.

Mary, a 72-year-old retiree who is attending the protests, told Metro: ‘I’m utterly appalled and disgusted by what Israel is doing to the Palestinians, and has done for 75 years and it’s getting worse and worse.

‘The UK government is actually helping Israel to commit genocide. And it’s arresting people who are protesting against the genocide.

‘Our government is breaking international law by supporting the genocide. We have a duty under international law to oppose genocide.’

In response to Isaac Herzog’s visit next week, she added: ‘I think they shouldn’t have him in the country. I am going to join the witness block.’

Earlier this week, International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) stated that Israel’s conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide.

It listed a number of actions undertaken by the nation throughout the 22-month as constituting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Last month, a famine was officially declared in Gaza for the first time in history.

The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) made the announcement as more than half a million people in the enclave face catastrophic conditions.

Israel has continued to deny its attacks on Palestine and Gaza amounts to genocide, and said reports that there is a famine in Gaza are ‘lies’ and ‘modern blood libel’.

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