Wrongful Arrests at Palestine Action Demo, Campaigners Say

The Metropolitan police have arrested people at a Palestine Action protest who did not break the law by showing or stating support for the proscribed group, campaigners say. 

Protesters gathered outside Westminster magistrates’ court on Thursday in the latest escalation in the campaign to lift the ban on the direct action group. 

Organisers Defend Our Juries said ahead of time that they expected “hundreds” to express support for the group vocally and encourage police to join them, risking arrest under sections 11 and 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The Met has confirmed 117 arrests so far. 

However, Defend Our Juries said some of the arrests were of people who had not shown or stated support for Palestine Action, but instead were simply in proximity to those who were in breach of the law. 

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries told Novara Media the police did not always wait for people to say the words “I support Palestine Action” before making arrests, in some cases just arresting “anyone that was within the cordon”.

“They’re arresting people who seemingly aren’t in breach,” she added.

One woman told Novara Media she had been arrested under section 12 without committing any offence. “I clapped. That was it. […] I was here just to watch,” she said. 

In another case witnessed by Novara Media, police declined to explain to both an arrested woman and our reporter under what part of section 12 she was being arrested. 

Tim Crosland, co-founder of Defend Our Juries, told Novara Media: “This is people being arrested under incredibly serious terrorism charges, with a maximum of 14 years in prison, preemptively, before anyone had said anything.

“This was the clearest possible demonstration that there is no right to protest in Britain anymore if you’re going to talk about the genocide in Gaza.”

The Met declined Novara Media’s request for comment, saying: “We will look to provide a fuller summary at the conclusion of today’s event.”

Defend Our Juries said today’s action was a “test” of what prime minister Andy Burnham will do about the ban, which has cost the state over £10m in policing in the face of a huge courts backlog.

At a smaller action on 5 July – the first anniversary of the proscription of Palestine Action by Keir Starmer’s government – 14 people were arrested under sections 11 and 12, according to Defend Our Juries. This included 84-year-old priest Sue Parfitt, one of the first to be arrested after the ban came into force last year.

The Defend Our Juries action was called to coincide with court proceedings for 1,579 people previously arrested for showing support for Palestine Action. However, campaigners say there was confusion over whether the hearings were going to take place, with some defendants being informed they had been adjourned to October.