PEACE campaigners in Wales united in fury today as police arrested 17 campaigners against the slaughter in Gaza and imposed bail conditions stopping their right to protest.

South Wales Police officers arrested a male protester, who was one of the organisers of the wave of protests sweeping Wales at a mass protest in Cardiff city centre this afternoon against the Israeli assault on Rafah.

According to eyewitnesses the police also tried to snatch a female protester, who is a leading figure in the pro-Palestinian protests, and officers were heard to say: “We have both of them.”

The protesters went to Cardiff Bay Police station in the evening to demand the release of the man and 16 people were arrested on suspicion of violent behaviour.

Police confirmed the release of all 17 without charge, but have applied bail conditions which severely restrict their right to protest and organise further demonstrations.

The bail conditions were applied to stop them from being in a group of more than five in a public place and they cannot communicate with each other.

Stop the War Cymru (StW Cymru) condemned the bail conditions as anti-democratic and stopped the legitimate right to protest.

Convener Dominic MacAskill said that the targeting of peaceful protesters and denying their civil liberties was an affront.

He said: “The police deliberately targeted individuals for arrest and have applied bail conditions that will stop them from protesting the slaughter in Gaza.

“This is a monstrous imposition and the police should immediately drop this bail condition.”

Plaid Cymru Senedd Member Mabon ap Gwynfor also condemned the police action, saying: “These bail conditions are unreasonable and disproportionate. 

“The atrocities in Gaza is the human rights issue of the day and protesting them is an important part of raising awareness.”

One protester, who was born in Cardiff and has family in the West Bank, said: “I was sitting on the floor with my arms linked to my friends when the police started kicking us forward.

“They were grabbing and pulling any part of us they could, hair, arms anything. There was a mixed-race guy with dreadlocks next to me and they were much more violent with him, twisting him. I thought his arm was going to snap.”

A 22-year-old woman student at Cardiff University said: “They grabbed my hair and ripped my earring out.”