In the midst of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Britain has designated the pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization and made it a criminal offense to publicly support them.
On Saturday, 466 people were arrested in central London – many simply for holding up signs condemning genocide and expressing support for the group in question.
The ban on the radical left-wing group Palestine Action came into effect in early July, after the group’s activists broke into RAF Brize Norton airbase in Oxfordshire, England, and sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker aircraft, as well as causing damage with crowbars.
The action was a protest against Britain’s military support for Israel’s invasion – a war whose goal, according to international observers and human rights organizations, is to drive out the entire Palestinian population.
Palestine Action has never harmed any people, but has focused on vandalizing and sabotaging material targets connected to the Israeli military.
“A major embarrassment”
Over 500 people gathered on Saturday at Parliament Square in London. Many held signs with the message “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” – fully aware that this is now criminalized. The purpose was to show how the law is being used to restrict freedom of expression and that it is practically unenforceable and morally reprehensible.
The organization Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, commented on the mass arrests:
— The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing ‘terrorism’ offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home. This is a major embarrassment to the government, further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government’s own crimes.
The Metropolitan Police rejected the criticism and claimed that many on site were spectators, journalists or people who were not carrying signs in support of Palestine Action:
— We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested, police said in a statement.
Arrest update: Parliament Square and Whitehall are clear.
As of 9pm, 466 people had been arrested for showing support for Palestine Action.
There were a further eight arrests for other offences including five assaults on officers.
This will be the final update of the day. pic.twitter.com/9V5pgh6CVF
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) August 9, 2025
Risk imprisonment
Even before Saturday, police had openly stated that the demonstration was unusual because participants actively wanted to be arrested to burden police and the justice system.
Palestine Action has previously targeted Israeli arms suppliers and other locations in Britain that they claim have connections to Israel’s military machine.
The ban, which means that any form of public support for the group can result in imprisonment, is now being legally challenged by many observers. Supporters themselves argue that the government has gone too far by classifying an action group that does not engage in violence against people as a “terrorist organization”.
“If not today, when?”
Activists in London explained why they were willing to risk arrest while protesting against the UK government’s ban on the direct action group Palestine Action. pic.twitter.com/2TfuVRJkyM
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) August 9, 2025
“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”, writes Defend Our Juries on their website.
British police arrested a disabled blind man for opposing the Gaza Genocide.
Over 400 protesters were arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding signs which read “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
*The largest number of arrests for terrorism in British History!* pic.twitter.com/FhBGysgWvG— Chris Hutchinson (@ChrisHu34451470) August 10, 2025
Over the weekend, pro-Palestinian demonstrators also marched to Downing Street, where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has his official residence and office.
Starmer has sparked anger in Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state later this year – but many pro-Palestinian voices argue that this is not enough and that the government should act to stop the war immediately.
The far-left group Palestine Action was founded in 2020 in the United Kingdom and describes itself as a movement against colonialism and war. The group's campaigns target weapons factories, logistics centers and other locations considered to have connections to Israel's military machine. The goal is to stop Britain's military and economic support for Israel, particularly arms exports and cooperation with Israeli defense companies.
Their methods consist of direct actions and sabotage against property – such as climbing buildings, blocking transports, spraying red paint and vandalizing facilities – but the group emphasizes that they have never harmed people. The action that led to the organization being banned in July 2025 was when activists broke into RAF Brize Norton air base and sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker aircraft used in Israel's warfare in Gaza.
Supporters view the ban as an attempt to silence opposition to Israel's genocide and to criminalize non-violent political activism, while the British government claims the organization poses a "terrorist threat".
