Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

British police said on Sunday they had arrested almost 900 people at a demonstration the previous day in support of Palestine Action, and the government appealed for people to stop demonstrating in support of the banned campaign group.

Britain proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes.

That followed vandalism and incidents targeting defense firms in Britain with links to Israel. The group accuses Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

Hundreds of Palestine Action supporters have since been arrested at demonstrations, many of them over the age of 60. London police said 890 had been held following a protest near parliament in central London on Saturday, the highest number of detentions from a single such protest to date.

Of those, 857 were detained for showing support for a banned group, while 17 were arrested for assaults on officers after police said the protest turned violent.

“The violence we encountered during the operation was coordinated and carried out by a group of people … intent on creating as much disorder as possible,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart.

The protest organizers, a group called Defend Our Juries, said that among those arrested were priests, war veterans and healthcare workers, and that they included many elderly and some disabled.

“These mass acts of defiance will continue until the ban is lifted,” a spokesperson said.

Palestine Action’s proscription puts the group alongside al Qaeda and Islamic State, making it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Human rights groups have criticized the ban as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.

Defense minister John Healey said the firm action was needed to counter accusations by right-wing critics of “a two-tier policing and justice system.”

“Almost everyone shares the agony when we see the images from Gaza … and for people who want to voice their concern and protest, I applaud them,” he told Sky News. “But that does not require them to link it to support for Palestine Action, a proscribed group.”

Many of those arrested in recent weeks are released on police bail, and it was unclear how many were still in detention.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

i24 News – United States (US) Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff conveyed a message to Hamas behind the scenes regarding the conditions for negotiations — involving freeing the 48 remaining hostages in exchange for ending the war — Israeli media reported Sunday morning.

Witkoff’s message was relayed to Hamas through Israeli activist Gershon Baskin, who had also helped broker messages in the 2011 Gilad Shalit negotiations, a source told Israeli reporter Barak Ravid. He delivered the message through senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad.

The proposal included several general principles in addition to the release of all the hostages in exchange for ending the war, Ravid reported.

i24NEWS correspondent Guy Azriel reported that Israel is not responding to reports of the document of principles, saying, “This is a matter of correspondence between the Americans and Hamas.” The only message from Jerusalem at this stage remains, “We are adhering to the five conditions that the cabinet voted on to end the war.”

Meanwhile, Hamas released a statement Saturday evening expressing their readiness for a ceasefire agreement, saying, “We renew our commitment and adherence to the agreement we announced together with the Palestinian factions regarding the mediators’ proposal for a ceasefire on August 18.”

The annnouncment included their willingness to agree to a ceasefire under conditions including the withdrawl of Israeli forces and release of the hostages, but did not meet Israel’s conditions for ending the war which include the full disarmament of Hamas, demilitarization of the Strip, and Israeli security control over Gaza.

“We emphasize our openness to any ideas or proposals that would achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the unconditional entry of aid, and genuine prisoner exchanges through serious negotiations mediated by intermediaries,” Hamas added.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

i24 News – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has called on Britain, France, and Germany to change course after their decision to trigger the UN mechanism for reinstating sanctions against Iran.

In an op-ed published Sunday in The Guardian, Araghchi argued that the move has “no legal basis,” claiming the mechanism outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) cannot be applied without considering the United States’ withdrawal from the pact in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.

The minister accused European governments of “blindly following Washington’s strategy” while failing to honor their own commitments, including lifting economic sanctions and restoring normal trade relations with Tehran.

Araghchi also criticized Europe’s silence over Israel’s June strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, warning that such passivity would leave them sidelined in regional diplomacy.

He reiterated Iran’s readiness for dialogue but only under conditions that ensure both strict oversight of its nuclear program and the full removal of sanctions.

He cautioned that failure in diplomacy could have “serious regional and international consequences,” stressing that Iran’s military is prepared to defend against any aggression.

Araghchi concluded by urging Europe and the U.S. to “give diplomacy a chance,” warning that the alternative would be a dangerous escalation that risks further destabilizing the Middle East.