LONDON – British police said on Nov 1 that they had arrested 325 people at a London demonstration in support of Palestine Action the previous day, ahead of a court challenge to the government’s ban on the group.
Demonstrators held a “mass action” outside the US embassy as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a two-day appeal beginning Nov 4 over the government’s July 2025 decision to outlaw Palestine Action under anti-terror legislation.
The Metropolitan Police said 320 of the arrests were for expressing support for a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act. Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Campaigners and police tallies indicate that more than 4,000 people have been arrested for supporting the group since the ban, including many elderly people and Holocaust survivors.
A smaller protest also took place outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Oct 31, with no arrests reported at the time. Police Scotland said inquiries were ongoing to identify people seen wearing T-shirts or carrying banners expressing support for the proscribed organisation.
The United States designated Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in August, while the British designation places it on a blacklist alongside groups such as Hamas.