Activists from the group painted “Gaza is not for sale” and dug up parts of the green at Mr Trump’s golf course in Scotland in March 2025, with the president writing on social media that the prime minister had assured him that “they caught the terrorists” involved.
The group was proscribed as a terror organisation in an unusual move four months later, after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two military planes with red paint.
Shortly after midnight on June 20, activists from Palestine Action cut through the outer fence of Brize Norton and sped across the tarmac on electric scooters.
Undetected by guards, they proceeded to spray red paint into the turbines of two Voyager aircraft, used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for air-to-air refueling and strategic air transport missions. Crowbars were also reportedly used.
Three days later, Britain’s home secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament that she had decided to proscribe Palestine Action under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act.
I knew that in order to win this fight, we had to engage the enemy’s main force, and here in the UK, that would be Elbit. It wasn’t a recruitment, but rather a conscious incorporation from my part: I became Palestine Action.
And now, from behind these steel walls and sensors, I will continue the fight and to resist. This is for the mothers who can’t bury their children, for the fathers who had to bury all of theirs. For the children who have no family left and too young to understand why. And for my family – who I don’t even know if they’ve made it out of Rafah.
I will not compromise until all demands are met. Long live the intifada.
Locations for the November wave have now been announced, with actions to take place across the UK on two key dates (18th and 29th November), as well as four actions in London (20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th November) and one in the North of Ireland (22nd November). All actions will take place in central locations per town/city.
Read the all important Action Briefing Document here for full details as they emerge (this is a Live document, please check back regularly for info and changes) – taking action in Scotland? Please read the Scotland-specific Action Briefing Document as the law is slightly different there.
• Defend Our Juries are hosting a series of Open Calls as we approach the November 2025 National wave of action.
• Open Calls will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting on November 4th. Calls go live at 6:30pm via the button below.
• (note: the button will only go live once the call is active – refresh this if the button appears greyed-out after 6:30pm on the dates specified.)
The families of British and American Global Sumud Flotilla activists illegally detained by Israel have told Middle East Eye that the US and UK governments have failed to properly represent their citizens.
Clare Azzougarh, the daughter of Malcolm Ducker, a 72-year-old British air force veteran who captained a boat on the flotilla and is being held in Ketziot prison, said her family feels “immensely let down by the British government in so many ways”.
Laura Adler, the sister of David Adler, a Jewish-American member of the flotilla and co-general coordinator of the Progressive International, told MEE the response of the US government had made her realise that “not everyone is deemed to be equally American”.
“I didn’t realise how non-responsive and passive the US government would be,” Laura Adler said.
There are signs that the authoritarian powers are cracking, the police are struggling to enforce this absurd law, with some police forces outright refusing to make arrests. International and national human rights groups, politicians and United Nations representatives have condemned both the ban and the subsequent attacks on our civil liberties. Unions are declaring that they will not recognise the ban, while over 1600 people were arrested prior to our October 4th action.
We will be holding our signs around the UK in key cities and towns, as well as converging on London for the Judicial Review Itself (25-27 November). Book time off now, and sign the form to tell us where you’ll be taking action.
We will not comply with anti-democratic laws. We call on the UK Government to Lift The Ban on Palestine Action and to end UK complicity in Israel’s genocide.
In unity, not uniformity, we join together.
Police arrested nearly 500 more pro-Palestine demonstrators on Saturday—including many Jewish activists—who participated in a protest calling for the government to “Lift the Ban” on the protest group Palestine Action, which was outlawed under Britain’s anti-terrorism law in July.
Those arrested included an 83-year-old Anglican priest, the 79-year-old daughter of a Holocaust survivor, and a 79-year-old Jewish man with terminal illness, among hundreds of others who held signs in opposition to the ban as part of a “silent vigil.”
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“The right to protest is a fundamental freedom in our country. However, this freedom must be balanced with the freedom of their neighbours to live their lives without fear,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. “Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated, and scared to leave their homes. This has been particularly evident in relation to the considerable fear within the Jewish community, which has been expressed to me on many occasions in these recent difficult days.”
Defend Our Juries are holding a mass action event in defiance of the ban against Palestine Action.
Over 1500 people so far have been arrested at Lift The Ban events for holding signs which read “I oppose genocide – I support Palestine Action”. 29 people were arrested at Parliament Square in London on July 5th, the day the ban came into effect. On the following Saturday, 46 arrests at Parliament Square took place for the same act, as well as dozens of actions in other locations across the UK.
On August 9th, over 500 people were arrested in what was reportedly the largest number of arrests for civil disobedience in recent memory. On September 6th, the number was 857 (although not all sitters were arrested on this occasion.) Almost all arrests have take place for allegedly breaching Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, under accusation of supporting a proscribed organisation. All arrestees have been released on bail.
On August 9th, over 500 people were arrested for holding signs which said ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’ .
Around 1,500 people joined another peaceful sign-holding action on September 6th in London, with 857 arrests.
The next Lift The Ban action will take place on October 4th in London’s Trafalgar Square (relocated from Parliament Square).
(October 2, 2025)
First let us say that we utterly condemn the attack on the Jewish community in Manchester today.
This is what genuine terrorism looks like and we join with others in condemning it unreservedly.
As we have pointed out in our, sadly unacknowledged and unanswered, letters to Met Commissioner Mark Rowley, it has always been the choice of the Metropolitan Police whether or not to make arrests at our protests. Amnesty International has advised Mark Rowley that these arrests fall foul of international law and our fundamental rights.
As you know we are making two demands of the government: that it reverse the ban on a domestic protest group that poses no risk to the public; and secondly that the government take action in line with its obligations to prevent genocide.
It is unfortunate that the Home Office has not decided to rescind the ban in the wake of the ever-growing defiance and has chosen instead to put an increasing and unnecessary strain on police resources. According to your letter, it appears the political oversight in proscribing Palestine Action, which aimed to save lives in Palestine, is taking away from the police protecting the community from those who seek to take lives.
As I’m sure you will understand, the protection of our democracy and the prevention of countless deaths are critical issues. Therefore, our protest will go ahead as planned for this Saturday.
We urge you therefore to choose to prioritise protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group.
We hope you make the right choice to not arrest those taking part, and correctly deploy counter-terrorism resources this weekend.
Please understand that some 1,500 people have given deep consideration to committing to this nonviolent action which, as the Met has repeatedly pointed out, comes with serious risks. We hope you respect our fundamental right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
Yours sincerely,
Defend Our Juries
Organisers of a pro-Palestine protest planned in central London have insisted it will go ahead despite calls from police and the Home Secretary to delay or cancel.
Protest group Defend Our Juries has organised a demonstration on Saturday in Trafalgar Square, and claimed on Friday: “Cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win”.
The next Lift The Ban action will take place at Parliament Square in London on October 4th at 1pm. Sign up here to make a commitment to standing with 1,500 others to demand the de-proscription of Palestine Action, and an end to UK complicity in genocide.
Please read the Action Briefing Document in full before committing to this action. There is a significant risk of arrest for those who take part. The action will only go ahead if 1,500 people make a commitment.
500+ people committed to action on August 9th, over 1,000 people committed in September – Defend Our Juries made clear our intention to continue to oppose this absurd ban until it is overturned. A Judicial Review is pending in November, but the Home Office can, and should, overturn this ban before that time.
Police made a number of arrests on suspicion of supporting the banned group Palestine Action at a protest outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool on Sunday
(September 6, 2025)
The Defend Our Juries group, which organized the demonstration, advised protesters to passively resist arrest and refuse to give police their names and addresses, to force officers to take them into custody.
Six people accused of organizing Defend Our Juries meetings were arrested hours before a scheduled news conference on Tuesday and charged with encouraging support for Palestine Action, an offense for which those found guilty can be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison.
When the rescheduled news conference took place without them on Wednesday, Defend Our Juries supporters accused the British government and the police of attacking free speech and the right to protest.
500+ people committed to action in August, over 1,500 people committed in September – Defend Our Juries made clear our intention to continue to oppose this absurd ban until it is overturned by Judicial Review in November.
The next action is set to take place in October, date and location to be confirmed.
Sign up using the form on this page if you’d like to take part in a simple sign-holding action in October 2025 as part of the Lift The Ban campaign.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, introduced the ban after Palestine Action entered the RAF base at Brize Norton and spray painted two military planes red, shining a spotlight on the role of the British military in partnering Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.
It is vital that our campaign succeeds – not just for Palestine Action but for democracy. Once the meaning of ‘terrorism’ is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead. If we let this go, the unions, and climate and racial justice movements will be next.
But the Government has overreached itself. Our groups and movements are coming together like never before, finding unity under repression. By refusing to give into fear and by standing together, we will face down this assault on us all.
The objective of this campaign is to Lift the Ban on Palestine Action, i.e. for Palestine Action to be de-proscribed as a ‘terrorist organisation’.
Started streaming 17 minutes ago #PalestineAction #Israel #London
#PalestineAction #Israel #London #ParliamentSquare #metpolice #Arrest #Palestine #Hamas #KeirStarmer #gaza
Streamed live 3 hours ago #PalestineAction #Israel #London
#PalestineAction #Israel #London #ParliamentSquare #metpolice #Arrest #Palestine #Hamas #KeirStarmer #gaza
On June 4, Corbyn tabled a bill in the House of Commons calling for an independent inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza, including the supply of weapons, surveillance aircraft and the use of Royal Air Force bases. That bill, backed by dozens of MPs and supported by more than 20 aid groups, was ultimately blocked by the ruling Labour Party.
“If the government won’t organise a public open inquiry, if Parliament won’t effectively inquire into what’s going on, it remains for us to do it,” said Corbyn. “This [event] will strengthen our arguments both in Parliament and outside … An awful lot of what’s going on is completely illegal and shouldn’t be hidden from.”
Find out more about the inquiry into Britain‘s role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
(August 19, 2025)
La Pethick, an 89-year-old retired psychotherapist, became the poster granny of the August 8 Parliament Square protest when a photo of her in her white hat being carried away by police spread like wildfire across the internet. Pethick, a retired psychotherapist from near Hastings, East Sussex, told the Times, “We are having our right to peaceful protest being taken away.”
Claudia Cotton, 89, a Jewish refugee also interviewed by the Times and whose family fled Nazi Germany in 1939, told the newspaper: “I am prepared to be arrested. In fact, I think it’s a good thing because it shows how ordinary people are willing to go to prison to oppose governments that are doing evil things.”
Grandmother Manji Mansfield, observed in an interview with Al Jazeera during the August 8 protest, “This isn’t the Britain that I grew up in. We are now living in an alternative universe.”
We have now confirmed that over 1000 people will join a simple sign-holding action on September 6th in London. Sign up below to get involved:
(…)
It is vital that our campaign succeeds – not just for Palestine Action but for democracy. Once the meaning of ‘terrorism’ is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead. If we let this go, the unions, and climate and racial justice movements will be next.
But the Government has overreached itself. Our groups and movements are coming together like never before, finding unity under repression. By refusing to give into fear and by standing together, we will face down this assault on us all.
The objective of this campaign is to Lift the Ban on Palestine Action, i.e. for Palestine Action to be de-proscribed as a ‘terrorist organisation’.
We will not comply with anti-democratic laws. We call on the UK Government to Lift The Ban on Palestine Action.
In unity, not uniformity, we join together.
Campaign group Defend Our Juries said five of its spokespeople were arrested as it prepared to announce further mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action.
The organisation said more than 1,000 people are set to take action on September 6 in Parliament Square, holding signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
This follows a number of demonstrations over the summer that have seen more than 700 people arrested and 114 charged.
Albanese‘s involvement was confirmed by Corbyn during an appearance by the veteran politician at a fringe event at the Edinburgh festival on Saturday.
The UN special rapporteur will be asked for comment on the use of RAF bases in Cyprus to help Israel‘s military.
Set to take place in September, the tribunal follows Corbyn‘s unsuccessful attempts to pass legislation in parliament for an independent public tribunal.
Those attempts were blocked by the ruling Labour party.
We add our voices to those already demanding the following actions:
1. The full and unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, at scale, and with urgency, by qualified aid agencies.
2. The cessation of all UK arms transfers — including parts — to Israel in line with the UK’s legal obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty (which prohibits transfers where they could be ‘used to commit acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes’).
3. The introduction of targeted sanctions against all individuals and entities credibly accused of violating international law, including war crimes.
4. Support for international legal mechanisms, including investigations by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC), and full UK diplomatic support to secure the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
As business leaders, we also call on the UK Government to:
– Suspend ALL export licences for goods that could be directly or indirectly implicated in military operations in Gaza – without exception.
– Partial measures are not enough to prevent UK complicity in breaches of international law.
– Broaden financial sanctions and investment screening to stop UK financing of companies complicit in violations of international law.
– Current efforts must go further to close gaps in enforcement.
– Enforce the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights across all UK-linked supply chains and financial systems.
The UK must ensure that no business – whether through products, services, or supply chains – is contributing to these atrocities, directly or indirectly.
(August 18, 2025)
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to recall Parliament to “impose immediate sanctions” on Israel in a joint letter signed by politicians in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The letter urges the Prime Minister to “act now” to exert pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza.
It has been signed by Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, SDLP leader Claire Hanna, the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and the convener of the party’s Holyrood group Stuart McMillan.
(August 19, 2025)
Parties joining in the SDLP-led letter include Sinn Féin, Alliance, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and People Before Profit.
The letter calls for Parliament to be recalled as well as urgent diplomatic intervention and an end to arms sales to Israel.
It is understood Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will respond to the letter in due course.
(August 13, 2025)
A knight of the realm and long-time adviser to the King when Prince of Wales, Sir Jonathon Porritt, speaks to Newsnight about his arrest for supporting Palestine Action. Interview by Victoria Derbyshire.
1 – Lift the Ban on Palestine Action. Stop persecuting those taking direct action to protect the Palestinian people from genocide.
2 – Name the Israeli assault on the Palestinian people as a genocide. Comply with the resulting legal obligations, including by ending all military trade and other military cooperation with Israel.
British campaigners reported Saturday that the sheer volume of people who showed up in London‘s Parliament Square to support the nonviolent advocacy group Palestine Action presented a major challenge for the Metropolitan Police, who had threatened to arrest anyone supporting the organization.
The campaign group Defend Our Juries reported that as of 4:00 pm local time, at least 200 people had been arrested for joining the protest, where more than 1,000 sat silently in the square with many displaying signs that read: „I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.“
Others held signs reading, „Is this why you joined the police?“ as officers arrested demonstrators including National Health Service workers; a blind man using a wheelchair; author Jonathon Porritt; and former Guantánamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, who now advocates for wrongly-imprisoned people swept up in the War on Terror.