More than 100 Palestine Action protesters arrested across UK
Demonstrations were held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Truro on Saturday as part of a campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries.
Protesters wrote the message 'I oppose genocide I support Palestine Action' on placards before being surrounded by police officers at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London.
Officers confiscated the placards and searched the bags of those arrested, with some protesters being carried away by police while others were led away in handcuffs.
The Metropolitan Police said 55 people were arrested in Parliament Square under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action.
The force said a further eight people were arrested for supporting Palestine Action within a separate large-scale march to Whitehall on Saturday by the Palestine Coalition.
It added that one person was arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence at the march and another person was arrested for breaching Public Order Act conditions.
Saturday's arrests bring the total number of people arrested since the ban on Palestine Action came into force to more than 200, with more than 72 arrested across the UK last weekend and 29 the week before.
The Metropolitan Police said protesters arrested in London remain on bail.
Greater Manchester Police said it arrested 16 people on Saturday on suspicion of support of a proscribed organisation, adding that they remained in custody for questioning.
Avon and Somerset Police said 17 people were arrested during a protest in Bristol.
The force said: 'Officers engaged with protesters on College Green, explaining that the recent proscription of the Palestine Action group by the Government made it a criminal offence to express support for it under the Terrorism Act 2000.
'Seventeen people were arrested under Section 13 of the Act and several placards were seized.
'A further three people will be invited to attend a voluntary interview at a future date.
'We will always aim to enable peaceful protest, however, where criminal offences are committed, including those related to proscribed groups, we will intervene.'
Eight people were arrested near Truro Cathedral in Cornwall after protesters gathered to show support for Palestine Action.
Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement that around 30 protesters were involved in the 'peaceful' Defend Our Juries demonstration.
The force added: 'A number of placards which were contrary to the law remained on display despite police advice.
'Eight people, two men and six women, were arrested on suspicion of offences under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They remain in police custody.'
No arrests were reported in Edinburgh.
A woman who was detained by police in Parliament Square said: 'We demand that Palestine Action is de-proscribed.
'Our Government is not only arming a genocide, they are using terrorism laws to silence people who speak out.
'Palestine Action are campaigning for peace. They are dismantling weapons factories.'
As he was carried away by police, a protester in London said: 'Freedom of speech is dead in this country, shame on the Metropolitan Police.'
🧵 | Updates on today's public order policing operation in central London will be posted on this thread.
Details of the conditions in place and the law on expressing support for proscribed organisations can be found at the link below. https://t.co/4xyECSyliy
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) July 19, 2025
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: 'Just a few weeks ago, being arrested under the Terrorism Act was the stuff of nightmares.
'Now it's a badge of honour that people are wearing with pride – the mark of resistance to genocide and standing firm for our democratic freedoms.'
A small number of counter-protesters in Parliament Square held up placards which said 'there is no genocide but there are 50 hostages still captive'.
It comes ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday in which the co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, will ask for the green light to challenge the Home Secretary's decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws.
The ban means that membership of, or support for, the direct action group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Metropolitan Police said 70 people were arrested at similar demonstrations in Parliament Square over the past two weekends.
The move to ban the organisation came 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 about £7 million worth of damage.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying that the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
2 minutes ago
- Fox News
The UK Lowers the Voting Age to 16
The UK is lowering the voting age to 16 and the response is mixed. I'm Tomi Lahren, more next. Before the next national election, the British government will lower the voting age from 18 to 16. This change represents the first major voting law change in the UK since the 1960s. The left wing Labour Party says this move will strengthen democracy and restore trust in politics, but more conservative folks believe this is just a pathetic power grab. Advocates say if these teens are old enough to work and pay taxes, they should have representation and perhaps that is a fair argument. Personally, I couldn't care less what the UK does but I know many Democrats in the US would love to follow suit. The social media and school indoctrination industrial complex is good at converting teens into left-wing activists, and Lord knows Democrats need to scrounge up support wherever they can find it. However, with the growing popularity of MAGA, conservative podcasters, and America First principles, I'm not so sure the Left has youngsters as 'in the bag' as they may think! Be careful what you wish for! I'm Tomi Lahren and you can watch my show 'Tomi Lahren is Fearless' at Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Labour, Reform UK Open Door to Increasing the Retirement Age
The ruling Labour party and upstart rival Reform UK both opened the door to a potential increase in the retirement age, a move that would help cut the government's costs but almost certainly draw a backlash from the public. Launching a new pension commission, Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall on Monday announced the start of the next statutory review into the age at which Britons can collect government pension benefits, which is now set at 66. While the government is required to review the state pension every six years, the last one was in 2023, making this announcement three years early.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Miners arrested at Orgreave say their names can finally be cleared after inquiry
Former striking miners who were arrested during the violent confrontation at Orgreave in 1984 said their names could finally be cleared after the announcement of a public inquiry. The inquiry, expected to launch in the autumn, will investigate the events surrounding clashes at the Orgreave Coking Plant in South Yorkshire on June 18 1984, which caused 120 injuries. In total, 95 picketers were arrested and initially charged with riot and violent disorder, but all charges were later dropped after evidence was discredited. On Monday representatives from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign welcomed the 'historic and momentous announcement' at a press conference in Sheffield. Kevin Horne, who was one of the 95 people arrested on that day, said: 'We have this chance now to wipe the slate clean so that our children and grandchildren can respect the police again.' He said his children had 'seen me come back from Orgreave black and blue' adding: 'I had to wait 14 months for my name to be cleared, all the time thinking I could go to prison for life.' Another former miner who attended the press conference, Craig Mansell, told the PA news agency he had been arrested at 8.45am on that day and 'saw a few nasty things'. He said: 'These are the police that are supposed to help us in our country – they were animals, a lot of them were OTT.' Mr Mansell, 59, from Sheffield, said the announcement of a public inquiry was 'brilliant'. 'It means a lot. We can finally put everything to bed, get it out there and let people know exactly what went off and why it went off.' He told PA: 'It's bitter, because there's thousands that's no longer with us that have been wanting this to happen for 41 years. They're not around to see it, but hopefully their names will be cleared.' John Dunn, who was not present at Orgreave but was arrested on other occasions throughout the miners' strike, told the press conference: 'The best we can hope for is that we clear our names. 'Every copper who perjured themselves, everybody who gave instructions about what they had to write in their arrest statements must be held to account. 'I don't think we'll ever get real justice but if we can clear our names and absolve the NUM of all the slanders and the smears, we can go a fair way to making sure things like that stop and aren't allowed to happen again.' The inquiry will be statutory with powers to compel people to provide information where necessary, the Home Office said. The Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield, has agreed to chair the inquiry, which the Home Office said is intended to 'aid the public's understanding of how the events on the day, and immediately after, came to pass'. A statement read at the event by Chris Peace from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said what happened at Orgreave was key to understanding what happened throughout the 1984-5 strike. She said: 'Events relating to this day can provide answers to how and why paramilitary violent policing across mining villages and communities all over Britain was taking place throughout the strike. 'We want answers to questions about the systemic violent and lying behaviour of the police. 'We need to know how police officers on the ground were briefed and how that briefing came about. 'We need government and police papers releasing that have been embargoed until 2066 and 2071. 'What is important is that due to the age and health of many miners we quickly secure a public acknowledgement of why and what the state did to the miners and our communities.'
