London Sees 139 Arrests as Protests Erupt Against Palestine Action Ban

Police in London have arrested at least 139 individuals after hundreds of protesters defied a ban to rally against the proscription of Palestine Action, an organization now classified as "terrorist" under United Kingdom law. The demonstration took place on Saturday outside the United States embassy, with participants opposing the ban that came into effect in July last year under the government of then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This rally precedes a Supreme Court appeal scheduled for Wednesday, which will challenge the campaign group’s proscription.

The Metropolitan Police announced on X on Saturday evening that the number of arrests had risen to 139, a significant increase from the 48 detained earlier in the day. The majority of these arrests were for "expressing support for a proscribed organisation." In response, Labour Party MP John McDonnell stated on X that protesting a government decision to proscribe an organization should not be automatically interpreted as supporting that organization and thus committing an arrestable offense. He expressed his belief that the government erred in designating Palestine Action a terrorist organization.

Saturday’s rally marks the first large-scale protest against the proscription since Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office in July. The decision to label the group a "terrorist" organization has drawn criticism, with opponents arguing it represents a broader effort to suppress pro-Palestine voices. Palestine Action has now been added to a list of banned groups that includes al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Protesters also gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland, with no arrests reported there. Demonstrators in both cities carried placards stating, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Defend Our Juries, the group that organized the protests, reported that Saturday's arrests bring the total number of detentions for defying the Palestine Action ban to over 4,000 since July 2025.

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries described the situation as "truly dystopian," noting that over 4,000 arrests have now occurred under terror laws for peaceful vigils expressing opposition to genocide and support for Palestine Action. The spokesperson further commented that the ban on Palestine Action mirrors tactics from [US President Donald] Trump's playbook and suggested the UK government's action was an attempt to appease Trump and Israeli weapons companies, rather than a response to a genuine terrorist threat. Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s head of communications and campaigns, urged the government to reverse the proscription, calling the arrests of individuals for peacefully holding placards a "disgraceful attack on freedom of speech" and advocating for reforms to empower community demonstrations.