Date of Arrests: July 13, 2025
London–British police arrested several dozen protesters during Saturday’s mass demonstrations across London over Britain’s decision to classify Palestine Action as a terrorist organization under Terrorism Act 2000.
According to the Metropolitan Police, officers detained 41 individuals at Parliament Square who displayed support for proscribed organizations; an arrest was also made during a silent sit-in near statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi. These figures can be found via The Scottish Sun (+15); Reuters (+15); AP News (+15).
Protesters displayed placards reading “I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action,” emphasizing their support of this direct action group.
Protests quickly spread throughout the UK. Greater Manchester Police arrested 16 individuals at St Peter’s Square while South Wales Police detained 13 individuals in Cardiff under similar charges, as reported by The Times and AP News (The Times: +4; AP News: +4)
Campaigners say as many as 86 people were arrested nationwide, including in Northern Ireland and Wales (Dawn/Reuters/DW/DW+14)
Crackdown marks second consecutive week of arrests: Last weekend, 29 were arrested shortly after Palestine Action was officially proscribed (Dawn +15 and AP News).
Saturday’s protests come after an array of direct actions undertaken by the group, most notably an incident at RAF Brize Norton on June 20 where activists damaged two military aircraft estimated to cost an estimated PS7 Million in damages (Deutsche Welle and AP News, respectively).
That incident led to a decision to outlaw the group, placing them on par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS which face jail time of up to 14 years in prison (AP News +14; Reuters +14; Deutsche Welle +14).
Legal experts and civil liberty campaigners oppose this proscription as it goes beyond tradition policing violent offenses and dangerously confounds protest with terrorism. “Critics say it uses anti-terror powers improperly by conflating property damage with acts of terror,” noted Reuters in The Guardian.
Al Jazeera reported that over 70 arrests were made nationwide over the course of this weekend as authorities battled peaceful protests for nearly all of it.
Palestine Action was formed in 2020 under Huda Ammori’s co-leadership and operates as a nonviolent yet disruptive network that seeks to end Britain’s support of Israeli military operations by protesting non-violence but disruptive methods such as petitioning parliament. For more information about their work visit this link and this one.
Since their ban was approved by a 385-26 vote in the House of Commons and then by Lords on July 5, a group has launched legal challenges against it with an initial High Court hearing set for July 21 (The Scottish Sun, Wikipedia and Times all mention this hearing date as being significant). A High Court hearing for these proceedings will likely occur as planned (The Scottish Sun).
Saturday’s protest tactics included silent sit-ins and blockades of streets near key statues, met by heavy police presence. Pictures from Parliament Square showed officers lifting protestors into vans after they refused to move; organizers and rights advocates charged that such measures are disproportionate and breach freedom of expression.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently upheld her decision to ban Palestine Action, arguing that its tactics went beyond peaceful demonstration into criminal sabotage and presented risks to national security (AP News/Wikipedia).
Opponents argue that this creates a dangerous precedent where peaceful activism could be defined as terrorist activities and further suppress legitimate criticism over Britain’s foreign policy.
As legal and political battles rage on – including with an upcoming judicial review – civil liberties groups and pro-Palestinian activists plan further protests. Police warn that continuing support for proscribed organizations could result in arrest and prosecution under antiterrorism law.
London’s courts will ultimately decide whether or not the ban should stand, but Saturday’s mass arrests represent an increasingly deep division among Britons regarding civil liberties, protest rights and state power when it comes to political activism.