More than 400 people have been arrested in London during a tense protest in support of the Palestine Action group, which has been banned under terror laws, AFP quotes police as saying.

Several hundred people demonstrated in front of the UK parliament, with some holding placards that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

The capital’s Metropolitan Police force (Met) had warned people that it would not hesitate to arrest anyone who explicitly expressed support for the prohibited group. The Met said in a statement late last night that it had arrested “more than 425 people… in relation to the protest”.

“The majority of these arrests were made for supporting a proscribed organisation,” the force said.

Skirmishes broke out between officers and demonstrators who tried to prevent arrests. More than 25 people were arrested for alleged “assaults on police officers and other public order offences”, the Met said.