MLAs have condemned the police for its response, saying it is part of a “regressive clampdown”.

It follows the British government introducing legislation to outlaw Palestine Action, with membership carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said violence and criminal damage had no place in legitimate protest, and Palestine Action’s activities, including breaking into an RAF base and spraying two aircraft with red paint, justified the ban.

Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain.

It accuses the government of complicity in Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

The arrest occurred against the backdrop of what has been branded a “far-right racist” protest outside a hotel in Belfast city centre. At least one man

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