Palestine Action ban moves to new phase

A legal and political clash unfolds as the UK weighs consequences of proscribing Palestine Action amid mass arrests.

Palestine Action ban enters a new phase after mass arrests

The Home Secretary last month proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. At Parliament Square last week, police arrested about 522 people on suspicion of terrorism offences, more than double the 2024 total. The average age of those arrested was 54, with 112 aged over 70.

Three people have been charged with displaying support for Palestine Action during the July 5 protest and will appear in court next month. The director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, had to consult the Attorney General before moving ahead because some terrorism cases have extra safeguards. That means hundreds of the around 700 protesters may wait months to learn whether they face trial, possibly more than a year away. If charged, the maximum sentence in such cases is not guaranteed to be long, but the landscape is shifting with each filing.

The August 2024 incident at Elbit Systems UK in Bristol prompted a review of the ban. Eighteen people deny charges including criminal damage, assault and violent disorder. Officials have said the ban rests on serious criminal damage and violent acts, not a broad statement that the group is inherently violent. The government argues the action is necessary to prevent substantial harm, while critics warn it could chill dissent.

If the ban is overturned, hundreds of arrests could be dropped; if not, the long legal process will shape how the public sees both protest and state power.

The case tests how far a democracy will go to curb protest in the name of security. The involvement of the Attorney General signals a careful, legal approach that risks slowing justice but protects due process. The unusually old age of many protesters underscores civil liberties concerns and the risk of a chilling effect on peaceful dissent.

The political costs are rising as the public watches how charges are applied and how quickly court decisions come. The Home Secretary must balance public safety with the optics of a hard line against protest, a balance that could determine future limits on speech and assembly.

Highlights

The coming hearings will test how far protest rights can bend in a fragile balance.