Seven arrests at pro-Palestine Action protest

Devon and Cornwall Police said seven people were arrested during a protest in Truro

Seven people were arrested in relation to a protest in Cornwall in support of lifting a ban on Palestine Action.

The protest, organised by the UK-based group Defend Our Juries, took place outside Truro Cathedral on Tuesday - Devon and Cornwall Police said about 50 protesters attended.

Palestine Action was made a proscribed organisation by the government under the Terrorism Act 2000 on 5 July, which meant it would be an offence to support it.

Police said seven people were arrested in Truro on suspicion of offences under Section 13 of the act after "a number of placards which were contrary to law" were displayed. All seven people have been bailed, the force said.

Ch Supt Matthew Longman said protests like the one in Truro on Tuesday were "challenging operations" for officers as they try to strike a balance between "upholding the law whilst serving their local communities".

"We have made every effort to deliver a compassionate service, that is empathetic to individuals involved, but which does fulfil our obligations," he said.

"I am extremely proud of the way officers conducted themselves in this highly emotive area of police work."

Palestine Action was banned after alleged attacks on an Israel-based defence firm's UK site and two planes at RAF Brize Norton.

Along with Truro, demonstrations organised by Defend Our Juries were held in Nottingham, Gloucester, Northampton, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Edinburgh.

The ban on Palestine Action made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against former home secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws.