LONDON 

A total of 532 protesters were arrested during Saturday's rally in London in support of the activist group Palestine Action, the police announced on Sunday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said that the overwhelming majority of arrests, 522, were for displaying a sign in support of a banned group, Palestine Action, violating Section 13 of the 2000 Terrorism Act.

It noted that police officers arrested a further 10 people including six people for assaulting officers, one for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, two for breaching Section 14 Public Order Act conditions, and one for a racially aggravated public order offense.

The statement added that as of 1 pm local time (12000GMT) on Sunday, 18 people remained in custody but they are expected to be released on bail in the coming hours.

"Over the coming days and weeks, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested as part of this operation," it said.

The average age of those arrested was 54, according to police figures, while six were age 17-19 and 112 of them were 70 or older.

On Saturday, hundreds of people staged a rally in Parliament Square in support of Gaza and Palestine Action, a group the UK banned last month.

In June, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a ban under the Terrorism Act after activists spray-painted planes at a Royal Air Force base, an act being investigated under counter-terrorism laws.

Last month, the ban passed in both the House of Commons and House of Lords.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk also raised serious concerns over the ban, calling it a "disturbing misuse" of counter-terrorism laws and risks undermining fundamental freedoms.