Police make arrests at London protest against Palestine Action ban

Police made arrests in London after more than 100 people gathered outside the US embassy in Battersea on October 31 to demonstrate against the ban on Palestine Action, the Guardian and the London Evening Standard reported. Demonstrators held signs opposing genocide and supporting Palestine Action during the first mass demonstration against the group's proscription under Andy Burnham's premiership. The Irish News and Lynn News both reported that dozens of people were arrested outside the embassy. [1][2][7][9]

Before the London gathering, Metropolitan Police officers warned demonstrators that they faced potential arrest as part of enforcement measures, according to the Guardian and the London Evening Standard. A Metropolitan Police commander alleged that protesters were essentially meeting with the intent to commit a crime. AOL reported that a separate demonstration supporting Palestine Action was also scheduled to take place near the US consulate in Edinburgh. [1][2][8]

Palestine Action was founded in 2020 as a British direct action network. Since 2025, the organization has been proscribed as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000, making it a criminal offence in the United Kingdom to belong to the group, offer it material support, or display items supporting it. [10]

The arrests follow recent international actions related to the group. The Jerusalem Post and Arab News PK reported that the United Kingdom recently barred entry to a Swedish academic ahead of a planned appearance with a founder of Palestine Action. Separately, the Washington Examiner reported that two activists in the United States said they would return to prison rather than testify before a federal grand jury investigating the group in New Hampshire. [3][4][5]