London Police Arrest 139 at Rally Against Palestine Action Ban
Protesters defied a warning to stay home before a Supreme Court appeal, leading to the largest single-day detention count since the group was proscribed in July 2025.
By Pablo Harrison ·
London police arrested 139 people on Saturday after hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the United States embassy to oppose the ban on Palestine Action. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the total on social media in the evening, noting the number had risen from 48 earlier that day. Most arrests were charged for expressing support for a proscribed organisation.
The group, which includes al-Qaeda and ISIL, has been classified as a terrorist entity under UK law since July 2025. The current administration under Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces its first major protest against this designation since taking office. A Supreme Court appeal challenging the proscription is scheduled for Wednesday.
Labour MP John McDonnell criticized the police action on X. He argued that protesting a government decision should not be automatically interpreted as supporting the organisation itself. He stated his belief that the government made a wrong decision by proscribing the group.
Defend Our Juries, the organizer of the event, said the Saturday arrests pushed the total number of people detained for defying the ban past 4,000. A spokesperson for the group described the milestone as dystopian, noting that the arrests occurred outside the US embassy on Halloween. The spokesperson claimed the ban was aimed at appeasing US President Donald Trump and Israeli weapons companies rather than addressing a specific terrorist threat.
Protesters in Edinburgh also gathered outside the US consulate to hold placards reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Police did not report any arrests in the Scottish capital. The demonstrations in both cities featured participants ranging from teenagers to grandparents, according to Amnesty International UK.
Felix Jakens, head of communications for Amnesty International UK, called the arrests a disgraceful attack on freedom of speech. He urged the government to reverse the proscription and reform laws to give communities more power to demonstrate. The organization highlighted that many detainees were simply holding placards while protesting peacefully.
Source: Al Jazeera
