Met Police make 'most arrests in a decade' as 474 detained at Palestine Action protest

Police have made 474 arrests in London after crowds turned out for a Palestine Action demonstration.

Metropolitan Police said 466 were detained under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a banned group. Eight more people were arrested for other offences, including five for assaulting officers.

The Met said it was the most arrests it's made related to a single operation in at least the past decade. Organiser of the event, Defend Our Juries, earlier said up to 700 people were at the event in Parliament Square and claimed police were preparing for the "largest mass arrest in their history".

The group said those arrested included former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, NHS workers, quakers and a blind wheelchair user. The Met said a "significant number of people" at the event were seen "displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action".

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation. "Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage." Police said those arrested had been taken to processing points in Westminster and any whose details could be confirmed were bailed on condition they didn't attend further Palestine Action support events.

Others whose details could not be verified, possibly because they refused to give them, were taken to custody suites across London. The protests have put a strain on authorities' capacity to cope.

Sky News understands senior leaders in the prison service, known as "Capacity Gold.