Campaigners from Farnham and Guildford joined thousands in Parliament Square on Saturday, August 9, for a national protest against the UK Government’s stance on Gaza and its decision to proscribe the activist group Palestine Action.

The demonstration marked ten months since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which protesters described as “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.” Police made several arrests during the action, including a Guildford resident who has decided to speak out.

That demonstrator, who asked not to be named, said: “I no longer have words to express what we are witnessing in Gaza. The horrors of the ongoing genocide, the continued breaking of international law, the crimes against humanity all leave me feeling shattered.

“In Parliament Square we were motivated by our Government’s complicity in these crimes and by the way they have silenced the most effective group who have been exposing that complicity and trying to dismantle it. Palestine Action are not terrorists, and neither are we for supporting them. Our Government is the real threat to justice, safety and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people. We all need to look at Britain’s role in the colonisation of Palestine. Britain’s crimes stretch from Balfour in 1917 to Starmer today. We have to put pressure on our Government to stop participating in these crimes against the Palestinian people.”

Clive, a protester from Farnham, described it as “an honour” to take part. He said: “I attended this historic action because Israel is systematically annihilating the Palestinians. This is genocide. The UK government is still granting licences for exporting arms to Israel, and this must stop. By proscribing Palestine Action, the UK government has designated non-violent protestors and their supporters as terrorists. They are not! The right to non-violent protest is fundamental to our democracy.

“It was an honour to sit in Parliament Square to support an action whose outcome affects every individual’s democratic rights and freedoms and exposes the corrupting effect that lobbyists and corporations have on UK lawmaking.”

Another Farnham resident said they were motivated by local MP Gregory Stafford’s campaign for free speech: “I was happy to take action on his behalf.” Organisers accused ministers of “criminalising dissent” and urged the public to examine Britain’s historic and ongoing role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The protest saw a record 474 people arrested in central London, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. The arrests, the highest linked to a single operation in at least a decade, took place in and around Parliament Square and Whitehall on August 9. By 9pm, 466 demonstrators had been detained for showing support for the banned group, with a further eight arrested for other offences, including five alleged assaults on police officers.

Saturday’s demonstration was the largest linked to Palestine Action since the organisation was outlawed last month, drawing campaigners from across the country to highlight their opposition to UK arms exports and to press for accountability in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.