Met Police issue warning after Palestine Action ban comes into force
Palestine Action lost a late-night Court of Appeal challenge on Friday, which sought to stop the protest group being banned, less than two hours before the new legislation came into force at midnight.
The designation as a terror group means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
It comes as a group said it is set to gather in Parliament Square on Saturday holding signs supporting Palestine Action, according to campaign group Defend Our Juries.
Proscription makes it a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) to invite or express support for an organisation through chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos, the Met said.
The Met also said it is a criminal offence to:
– belong, or profess to belong, to a proscribed organisation in the UK or overseas (Section 11 TACT);
– invite support for a proscribed organisation (Section 12(1A) TACT);
– express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation (Section 12(1A) TACT);
– arrange, manage or assist in arranging or managing a meeting in the knowledge that the meeting is to support or further the activities of a proscribed organisation, or is to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to (Section 12(2) TACT);
– wear clothing or carry or display articles in public in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that the individual is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation (Section 13 TACT);
– publish an image of an item of clothing or other article, such as a flag or logo, in the same circumstances (Section 13(1A) TACT)
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Met police arrest activists holding signs referring to Palestine Action
Twenty-nine people have been arrested after protesters gathered in central London holding signs referencing Palestine Action a day after the group was banned as a terrorist organisation. The direct action protest group was banned on Friday after a last-minute legal attempt to suspend the group's proscription under anti-terrorism laws failed. It means that, from Saturday, being a member of, or expressing support for, the organisation became a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organised the demonstration, said 'a priest, an emeritus professor and a number of health professionals' were among those arrested. More than two dozen people gathered close to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, holding signs that appeared to express support for the group. At about 1.40pm, Metropolitan police officers began arresting people who were holding the signs. In a statement on X, the Met said: 'Officers have arrested more than 20 people on suspicion of offences under the Terrorism Act 2000. They have been taken into custody. Palestine Action is a proscribed group and officers will act where criminal offences are committed.' The force posted another update on X on Saturday evening to say 29 arrests had been made and added that those arrested remain in custody. A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: 'We commend the counter-terrorism police for their decisive action in protecting the people of London from some cardboard signs opposing the genocide in Gaza and expressing support for those taking action to prevent it. It's a relief to know that counter-terrorism police have nothing better to do.' On Friday, the group wrote to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, to give him advance warning of the demonstration. Before officers made arrests, the Guardian spoke to some of the demonstrators. Tim Crosland, of Defend Our Juries, said: 'What we're doing here as a group of priests, teachers, health workers, human rights lawyers [is] we're refusing to be silenced. Because it goes to the core of what we believe in: that we oppose genocide – I didn't think that was that controversial – and we support the people who resist genocide. 'In theory we are now terrorist supporters and can go to prison for 14 years, which is kind of crazy. I think what we are here to do is just expose the craziness of that.' An environmental campaigner, Donnachadh McCarthy, said: 'To proscribe an organisation of peaceful direct action as terrorists is a huge red line for our democracy. It means that all the rest of us, whether we're climate activists, Greenpeace, women's suffragettes, disabled activists, it means that the government can now declare any act of property damage to be terrorism, which gives you a sentence of 14 years. 'This is worse than Putin's Russia. I don't say that lightly. It's 10 years for doing what we're doing today in Russia; it's 14 years in the UK, because of Yvette Cooper's outrageous betrayal of democracy, liberalism, and what is in my view a step towards fascism.' A retired priest, Sue Parfitt, 83, said the group's ban was 'a very dangerous move that has to be challenged'. 'We are losing our civil liberties, we must stop that for everybody's sake. Whatever you want to protest about,' she said. Cooper, the home secretary, announced plans to ban Palestine Action late last month, days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint. MPs voted in favour of proscribing the group on Wednesday. The House of Lords backed the move without a vote on Thursday. UN experts, civil liberties groups, cultural figures and hundreds of lawyers have condemned the ban as draconian and said it sets a dangerous precedent by conflating protest with terrorism. The ban means Palestine Action has become the first direct action protest group to be banned under the Terrorism Act, placing it in the same category as Islamic State, al-Qaida and the far-right group National Action.
Rhyl Journal
3 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Arrests made at protest in support of banned Palestine Action
The Metropolitan Police posted on X on Saturday afternoon saying officers are responding to the protest in Parliament Square and making arrests. Palestine Action lost a late-night Court of Appeal challenge on Friday which sought to stop the protest group being banned, less than two hours before the new legislation came into force at midnight. Officers are responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence. Arrests are being made. Further updates will be shared here. — Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 5, 2025 The designation as a terror group means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The move to ban the organisation was announced after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident claimed by Palestine Action, which police said caused around £7 million of damage. The force posted on X saying: 'Officers are responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. 'The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence. 'Arrests are being made. 'Further updates will be shared here.' A group had earlier said it was set to gather in Parliament Square on Saturday holding signs supporting Palestine Action, according to campaign group Defend Our Juries. In a letter to the Home Secretary, protesters said: 'We do not wish to go to prison or to be branded with a terrorism conviction. But we refuse to be cowed into silence by your order.' Leslie Tate, 76, a Green councillor from Hertfordshire, said: 'Palestine Action are not a violent organisation, and the proscription is wrong. 'You do know, of course, that they were proscribed by Parliament with two other groups involved – all three at once – so that was a trick to make sure the Bill went through. 'The evidence from their actions that they've taken from the start of Palestine Action is that they all have been non-violent. 'This protest is necessary to defend our democracy, and this is the creeping edge of totalitarianism, frankly. 'We thought they (the police) would probably take pictures of people. 'It's the obvious thing to do, to photograph them, then they have their identity, rather than make arrests.' Metropolitan Police circled around dozens of protesters standing quietly beneath the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, with placards that said: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action'. Occasional chants of 'free Palestine' broke out from the surrounding onlookers, and some criticised the police attending. The protest started at about 1.10pm and officers were seen taking people away shortly after 1.30pm. An elderly woman in a clerical collar, who was sat in a camp chair with one of the placards at her feet, appeared to be taken away by officers. Another person was seen lying on the floor in handcuffs as police gathered over her. A woman seen lying on the floor in handcuffs was carried away in the air by officers and put in a police van. While suspended and flanked by a large group of police, she said calmly: 'Free Palestine, stop the genocide, I oppose genocide, I support the rights of the Palestinian people, I support freedom of speech, I support freedom of assembly.' A mass of people crowded around to film the scene. Officers placed her in the vehicle parked on the road behind the square before returning to the Mahatma Gandhi statue, where almost no protesters remained. Chants of 'shame' broke out, directed at the police, and officers moved behind the Gandhi statue. Most of the police dispersed at around 2.10pm. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, stating that the vandalism of the two planes was 'disgraceful' and that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'. MPs in the Commons voted 385 to 26, majority 359, in favour of proscribing the group on Wednesday, before the House of Lords backed the move without a vote on Thursday. Four people – Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22 – have all been charged in connection with the incident at Brize Norton. They appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday after being charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977.
Sky News
6 hours ago
- Sky News
Police arrest 29 protesters on suspicion of terror offences after Palestine Action banned
Police have arrested 29 protesters on suspicion of terror offences after a ban on the Palestine Action group came into effect. The protest group was officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation from midnight on Saturday after a last-minute legal challenge at the Court of Appeal to delay it failed. The Metropolitan Police said on Saturday afternoon that the protesters had been held on suspicion of committing offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 following a protest in London's Parliament Square. "The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence," the force added. "Arrests are being made." MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban the protest group under the legislation on Wednesday and the House of Lords approved the move the following day. The law change adds Palestine Action to the list of banned organisations along with the likes of al Qaeda, ISIS and Hezbollah, and makes membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Even wearing a T-shirt or badge with the group's name on attracts a maximum six-month sentence. On Saturday, a large number of Metropolitan Police officers circled around dozens of protesters carrying placards that said: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Israel has strongly denied any allegations of genocide. Campaign group Defend Our Juries said demonstrators were set to gather in Parliament Square on Saturday holding signs supporting Palestine Action. Officers who attended the protest were met with cries of "Met Police you are puppets of the Zionist state" and "leave them alone". Others were heard shouting, "British police off our streets", and "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free". Chants of "shame" were directed at police. A woman seen lying on the floor in handcuffs was carried away by officers and put in a police van. She was heard saying: "Free Palestine, stop the genocide, I oppose genocide, I support the rights of the Palestinian people, I support freedom of speech, I support freedom of assembly." A large group of people crowded around to film the scene. Officers placed her in a vehicle before returning to the square's Mahatma Gandhi statue. The protest started at about 1.10pm and officers were seen taking people away shortly after 1.30pm. Most of the officers dispersed at around 2.10pm. 'Creeping totalitarianism' Leslie Tate, 76, a Green councillor from Hertfordshire, said the group is not a violent organisation, and the proscription is wrong, adding the protest was "necessary to defend our democracy, and this is the creeping edge of totalitarianism". Among those removed by police was Reverend Sue Parfitt, who is 83. Ms Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action after two Voyager aircraft were allegedly damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June, which police said caused around £7m worth of damage. T-shirt could bring six-month jail term Even wearing a T-shirt or badge with the group's name on attracts a maximum six-month sentence. On Friday, the High Court heard the decision to ban the group was taken before the aircraft were allegedly damaged and as early as March this year. Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, is seeking to bring a legal challenge against the Home Office with a hearing for permission to bring a judicial review set to take place during the week of 21 July. On Friday, her lawyers applied for "interim relief" to temporarily block the legislation from coming into force until that hearing, arguing the Irish author Sally Rooney, who wrote Normal People, was among supporters who fear the "ramifications". But three judges, including the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, refused a bid to pause the ban coming into effect pending any Supreme Court bid at about 10.30pm on Friday, less than two hours before the ban was due to come into force. In their judgment, the judges said: "The role of the court is simply to interpret and apply the law.
