Police have arrested hundreds of people in London at a protest in support of Palestine Action, a group the British government declared a "terrorist organization" last month.

Al Jazeera reported this information in a report on Saturday (August 9).

The Metropolitan Police said at least 466 people had been arrested in the Parliament Square area by 9pm local time on Saturday for “supporting Palestinian action.” Earlier, police had said in a post that “anyone supporting Palestinian action will be arrested for as long as it takes.”

Videos circulating on social media show protesters sitting in the square, holding placards reading "I am against genocide, I support Palestinian action," as police remove them.

"People are collectively protesting against the decision to ban the massacre and Palestinian action in Gaza," the organization that organized the protest, Defend Our Jury, said on social media.

Al Jazeera says this is the latest protest against the government ban in the UK. Critics say the decision to ban Palestinian action is a tactic to suppress the movement against the Israeli war in Gaza, as well as to curtail the rights of expression and peaceful assembly.

Under the Terrorism Act of 2000, membership or support of the organisation is now a crime, punishable by a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison if convicted.

Al Jazeera reports that the threat of arrest and punishment has not deterred supporters of 'Palestine Action'. Reporter Sonia Gallego said, "Simply wearing a T-shirt or writing on a piece of paper that says 'I support Palestine Action' can be grounds for arrest."

Paddy Friend, a protester, said the government's move raised questions about freedom in the UK. "If we can't even sit in silence with a sign with seven words on it, then what does freedom of expression mean?" he asked.

Another participant, Grandma Manji Mansfield, said she had returned after being arrested at a previous protest. "This is not the Britain I grew up in. We are living in a different reality now, which I will not accept," she said.

Meanwhile, many people also took part in a separate march organised by the 'Palestine Coalition' on Saturday. Police arrested one person for displaying a banner supporting Palestine Action during the march from Russell Square to Whitehall.

Amnesty International UK has condemned the arrest of peaceful protesters holding placards, calling it a violation of international commitments to the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

John McDonnell, an MP from the ruling Labour Party, also criticized the arrests in Parliament Square, calling them a "violation of democratic rights."