Nearly 140 arrested in London protest against Palestine Action ban

Police arrested 139 people on Friday outside the US embassy in Battersea, south London, during the largest mass demonstration to date against the proscription of Palestine Action. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests in a statement on X, noting that officers remained on the scene and continued to detain participants.

Commander Adam Slonecki, who led the operation, stated that attendees were aware that supporting a banned organization is unlawful. He described the gathering as a purposeful act to commit a crime. The Metropolitan Police had warned beforehand that those organizing the event or providing logistical support would likely be committing an offence. They characterized the response as a robust policing operation.

Defend Our Juries, the group organizing the demonstrations, estimated that approximately 400 people gathered outside the embassy. The organization claimed the Metropolitan Police was terrified of facilitating US embarrassment. Defend Our Juries stated that more than 4,000 arrests have occurred for supporting Palestine Action since the ban took effect, representing the majority of terror arrests since last July.

Sue Morhall, a 79-year-old retiree, held a sign expressing support for the group. She said the leaders of the world, including Donald Trump, need to know that people oppose what is happening in Gaza. Morhall, who has been arrested five or six times at previous demonstrations, said she feels OK about being taken into a police van again. She expressed hope that Prime Minister Andy Burnham might rescind the ban, though she noted it may happen after the US midterm elections.

The Rev. Bill White, 72, also held a sign reading, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." White said he is appalled that Britain is helping facilitate the genocide in Palestine by supplying weapons used against Palestinians. He resigned from the Labour Party after Palestine Action was designated a terrorist group. As a faith leader, he said there was no choice but to take part in the demonstration to prevent the criminalization of people trying to stop a genocide.

The protests occur before a scheduled appeal at the UK Supreme Court on November 4 against Palestine Action’s terror group designation. The new government faces pressure to rescind the ban, although Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has remained in favor of the proscription. Last month, more than 160 people were arrested or reported for summons at a similar demonstration outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

Sarah Helm, a journalist and the wife of Prime Minister’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell, was accused of supporting the group after posting on X that authors who support Palestine Action need God’s help. Her post responded to news that Irish author Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the UK due to her support for the group. One woman arrested in London held a sign replicating Helm’s post, despite the Metropolitan Police ultimately assessing that Helm’s post did not meet the criminal threshold.