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Palestine Action was banned in a highly controversial move by the UK government in July
Alex CroftSunday 30 November 2025 00:00 GMT
ClosePalestine Action protest sees at least 90 arrested
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Dozens of Palestine Action supporters have been arrested across the country after another wave of protests were held on Saturday to oppose the group’s ban.
Police said 25 people were arrested in Birmingham, where a demonstration was organised by Defend Our Juries at Chamberlain Square in the city centre, West Midlands Police said. Another 30 were arrested in Bristol and 10 in Norwich.
Defend Our Juries said 636 arrests were made in its 12-day ‘Lift the Ban’ campaign, which called on the UK government to revoke the designation of the Palestine Action protest group as a ‘terrorist organisation’.
The group organised demonstrations in 10 British towns and cities on Saturday afternoon, to protest “against our Government’s complicity in genocide and against the ban on Palestine Action”.
Saturday’s arrests made it the “most widespread wave of civil disobedience in modern UK history”, the group claimed.
open image in galleryDefend Our Juries says more than 600 have been arrested in the last 12 days (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)There have been 2,717 “Lift the Ban sign-holding arrests” since Palestine Action was proscribed in July, it added.
The group said that police in Edinburgh and Exeter opted not to arrest the protesters.
The group shared a video on X of a Devon and Cornwall Police officer in Exeter speaking through a megaphone, saying: “By holding a sign supporting the Palestine Action Group, you are currently committing an offence under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act; we need to prevent offences from being committed which is why we’re asking you to put those signs away.”
She asked “is there anything that myself or colleagues could reasonably say or do that would make you co-operate with us in putting these signs away?” and one man shouted “come and join us”.
open image in galleryThe group was proscribed earlier this year (PA)A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said in a statement: “Yet again the ban has proven unenforceable, with police forces in Belfast, Derry, Edinburgh, Totnes and now Exeter choosing not to arrest peaceful sign-holders under ‘terror’ laws, while other forces have given up making arrests half way through.”
West Midlands Police said they arrested 25 people at the protest in Birmingham in which “a number of people carried placards expressing support for Palestine Action.”
Chief Inspector James Littlehales said: “We fully recognise people’s right to demonstrate peacefully, and many people continue to protest in support of Palestine without breaking the law.
“But we will take appropriate action where people are breaching the law by showing support for proscribed organisations.”
Ten people were arrested on suspicion of displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, and are being held at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning, officers said.
open image in galleryProtesters are calling for the terror label to be lifted (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)At 12.30pm on Saturday, Norfolk Constabulary attended a group who assembled on Haymarket in the city centre. Officers said the “incident was resolved” at around 3pm.
Superintendent Terry Lordan said: “Our role as a police force is to prevent disorder, damage and disruption in the local community. Today, this involved arresting individuals who were committing offences under the Terrorism Act.
“The actions of this group were unlawful and officers have used their powers accordingly.”
A separate march in London, organised by the Palestine Coalition, drew an estimated 100,000 people, according to organisers.
The Metropolitan Police said one arrest was made during the protest for affray, while four were “detained on suspicion of Public Order Act offences and inquiries are ongoing”, police added.
open image in galleryPeople take part in the National Demonstration for Palestine in central London (Jeff Moore/PA). (PA Wire)Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy told demonstrators in London that “the UK must stop enabling violence”.
Addressing protesters in Whitehall, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said: “We’re here because we know that even as political leaders congratulate themselves on this so-called ceasefire, the genocide in Gaza continues in real time.”
Poplar and Limehouse MP Apsana Begum said demonstrators would not stop marching until there was a “free and independent Palestine”.
