Police Arrest Protesters Opposing Palestine Action Terrorist Ban
Metropolitan Police arrested supporters of Palestine Action during protests at US diplomatic sites in London and Edinburgh opposing the group's proscription as a terrorist organization.
Hundreds of supporters of Palestine Action gathered outside the United States embassy in Battersea, London, and the US consulate in Edinburgh on October 31, 2026. The demonstrations protested the group's proscription as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act, a ban enacted by the UK government in June 2025.
Metropolitan Police officers arrested individuals displaying signs supporting the banned group and implemented a Section 35 dispersal order across parts of central London. The protests took place shortly before a scheduled Supreme Court hearing regarding the legality of the ban. The organizing group, Defend Our Juries, alleged the UK government implemented the proscription to appease Israeli weapons companies and US President Donald Trump.
Police Commander Adam Slonecki stated that those attending the event were essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime by supporting a proscribed organization. Conversely, Lambeth Council leader Martin Abrams criticized the operation, arguing that using police resources to arrest peaceful protesters does not make communities safe and detracts from vital community policing.
