Palestine Action and Defend Our Juries protesters outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, July 30, 2026
AT LEAST 50 people were arrested outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court today as they demanded the ban on Palestine Action be lifted.
An estimated 200 protesters prepared to read a statement inviting support for the proscribed group as a review hearing began for the prosecution of 1,579 people under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, for holding signs in support of Palestine Action during mass silent vigils in Parliament Square last year.
It is understood that at least four arrests were made before the action started, two under section 13 for articles of clothing and two for setting up a small stage.
From midday, a programme of speakers took place, with many being arrested while speaking.
Among them was Sir Jonathan Porritt, a campaigner and author who served as director of Friends of the Earth and was an adviser to current King Charles III for more than 30 years
Ahead of the protest, deputy assistant commissioner Andy Valentine said: “The law is clear. Expressing support for proscribed organisations is a criminal offence and anyone doing so can expect to be arrested.”
Protesters wore red to echo the jumpsuits worn during direct actions organised by Palestine Action, many of which targeted weapons factories to disrupt arms supply to Israel amid its genocide.
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said: “We had hoped to see a different response from the Met Police today, but yet again they are embarking on making hundreds of arrests of regular people who refuse to do nothing as the judiciary criminalised those who act to save lives as terrorists.
“These arrests, like that of thousands of others, 1,855 of whom were listed as needing to appear in court today, are an assault on our democracy, our civil liberties and our moral obligation to step in to prevent genocide.
“We urge the new PM to stop this insanity, at a time when there is so much positive work to be done in our country, Andy Burnham needs to put a stop to huge sums of taxpayer money being used for these arrests and prosecutions that the public at large do not support.”
As arrests continued, court records revealed that Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori will be permitted to challenge the proscription at the Supreme Court.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.
A Palestinian boy receives treatment after the Israeli forces attacked the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 28, 2026. (Photo by Adem Bilal/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“A ceasefire should ensure that hostilities are paused, weapons are silenced, and that people are safe from strikes across the strip.”
Nearly 10 months into a “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, as Israel on Tuesday killed at least one Palestinian man with an airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp, Doctors Without Borders declared that “the wounds of war are not only unhealed—they are still being inflicted.”
“This is not a ceasefire,” said the medical charity, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in a statement. “It is a continuation of the genocide, calibrated to be violent enough to keep Palestinians suffering every day, yet silent enough to avoid stirring international outrage.”
Israeli forces have killed more than 73,300 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded over 174,009 since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel—with global experts warning the true toll is likely far higher. Local authorities have documented at least 1,200 deaths and 3,900 injuries since the ceasefire was agreed to over nine months ago.
Nearly all of Gaza’s roughly 2 million survivors have been forcibly displaced, starved, or sickened. MSF said that “the destruction of homes has not stopped with the announcement of the ceasefire. Sudden and arbitrary orders for people to flee their homes and shelters continue to be used as a tool of psychological warfare by Israeli forces.”
Rajaa Jendiya, who was widowed in the “flour massacres,” is living in a tent at a school-turned-displacement camp with her children. She told Middle East Eye that she often takes them to the hospital because of illnesses.
“Inside and around the school, you often see sewage water overflowing, while rubbish accumulates, attracting flies and insects,” Jendiya said. “These conditions become even worse with the heat, and many times my children have developed skin diseases.”
“Our medical team keeps saying, ‘it’s not a ceasefire at all. It’s not even close to being a ceasefire’. We need to advocate… for a true ceasefire in Gaza.”
🔊 Dr Randa Masoud, our medical coordinator in Gaza, describes the current levels of violence and the impact on people… pic.twitter.com/TdLTWdipHZ
Accessing healthcare has also become difficult in the coastal strip, as Israel has killed and detained Palestinian medical providers, and bombed civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, including in the months since the ceasefire deal was reached.
As MSF detailed Tuesday:
On July 16, an Israeli strike near an MSF clinic in Al-Mawasi sent four injured people to our teams. The following day, two apartment buildings housing our staff in Gaza City were struck without warning, trapping families inside as explosions shattered windows. In one building, rubble and bodies crashed into the lower-floor apartment of an MSF staff member.
The same day, MSF teams in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, treated 12 people—seven of whom were children—who were injured after Israeli forces struck a funeral in Al-Nuseirat. In total, this strike killed eight people and injured 20. Among those killed was the 21-year-old son of an MSF staff member. Our colleague got the news while working in another emergency room.
“These were not isolated incidents,” the organization stressed, “but merely a snapshot of 48 hours in Gaza.”
Israel has also limited the flow of food and medicine into the war-torn territory. Calling out the country for using humanitarian assistance “as an instrument of oppression,” MSF emphasized that “the Israeli state has an obligation under international law to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have access to aid, regardless of political negotiations, military agreements, or conduct of hostilities.”
Since October, when the Israel Defense Forces controlled about half of Gaza, the “yellow line” indicating IDF occupation has kept shifting, to push Palestinians into “an ever-shrinking area,” MSF explained. “Today, almost 2 million Palestinians are confined to approximately 30% of the strip.”
Since the Gaza 'ceasefire' took effect on October 10, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,207 Palestinians and injured 3,914 others.
Israel has violated the agreement at least 3,795 times.
After speaking with residents in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza City’s Zeitoun, Tuffah, and Shejaia neighborhoods, Reuters reported Tuesday that “Israeli forces have advanced the yellow block markers during the past 10 days, triggering new waves of displacement in areas already devastated by months of conflict.”
While loading bags and mattresses onto a truck in Zeitoun, Assem Dawla told the news agency: “The whole war is displacement, displacement. You can’t stay anywhere without [Israel] telling you, ‘Get out of here, we want to come in.’”
Staying near the yellow line comes with risks. MSF said that “just this week, one mother told our teams that her 14-year-old son, who has Down syndrome, was shot five times by Israeli snipers near the yellow line while he was playing near his home.”
“A ceasefire should ensure that hostilities are paused, weapons are silenced, and that people are safe from strikes across the strip,” the group asserted. “Using it as a weapon of war and reinforcing the confinement to a fraction of Gaza cannot be justified.”
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing the same policy of active support of and denial of genocide by Israel.
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People stage a pro-Palestinian demonstration and call on Labour Party leader Andy Burnham, who is preparing to take office as prime minister, to impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel, in London, United Kingdom on July 18, 2026. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency
Britain’s new government has rejected calls from 80 MPs and peers to recognise Israel’s genocide in Gaza, impose a full arms embargo and introduce comprehensive sanctions against the occupation state.
The decision has intensified criticism of Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, whose first statements in office raised expectations of a break with the policies of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer but have so far produced little substantive change.
In a cross-party letter led by Labour MP Kim Johnson, members of the House of Commons and House of Lords urged Burnham to recognise the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
I'm one of 80 MPs & Peers calling on the PM to:
– Recognise the UN’s findings on genocide & implement the ICJ ruling in full – Impose sanctions including a full arms embargo – Ban trade that supports Israel’s illegal settlements
The parliamentarians called on the government to “fundamentally change its position” by supporting Palestinian rights and taking steps to prevent further Israeli violations of international law.
They also urged ministers to implement the International Court of Justice’s ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation, impose comprehensive sanctions, introduce a complete arms embargo and prohibit trade in goods and services linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to endorse any of the demands.
The rejection follows criticism of Miliband’s first statement as foreign secretary, in which he referred explicitly to “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine” but described Israel’s assault on Gaza only as “conflict in the Middle East”.
British governments and senior ministers have repeatedly made legal and political judgements about Russia’s conduct without waiting for a final international court ruling. The UK described Russia’s invasion as illegal from its outset and accused Russian forces of committing war crimes.
In June 2026, the Commission reported that Israeli authorities and forces continued to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes, including through the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children.
The UN findings are part of a much broader body of expert assessments.
Amnesty International concluded in December 2024 that Israel had committed and was continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem reached the same conclusion in its July 2025 report, Our Genocide. The International Association of Genocide Scholars later declared that Israel’s policies and actions met the legal definition of genocide under the Genocide Convention.
Despite these findings, the British government has maintained that only a court can make a genocide determination.
During a House of Lords debate following the UN Commission’s September 2025 report, ministers insisted that the government would not describe Israel’s actions as genocide until a competent national or international court had ruled on the issue.
Burnham had sought to distance himself from Starmer’s record before entering Downing Street. He acknowledged that Labour “got it wrong” in its initial response to Gaza and admitted that Britain had been too slow to call for a ceasefire.
However, he stopped short of recognising genocide, arguing that the matter should be left to international courts. Green Party deputy leader Mothin Ali accused Burnham of hiding behind the courts when discussing Israel while showing no similar hesitation in condemning Russia.
Ali warned that the duty under the Genocide Convention is to prevent genocide rather than wait until the destruction has been completed and formally adjudicated. Recognising the evidence, he argued, would also raise questions about Britain’s arms exports, surveillance cooperation and wider support for Israel.
Displaced Palestinians lineup to receive donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 23, 2026
…
EIGHTY MPs and peers have written to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging decisive action to uphold Palestinian rights and impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel.
The cross-party group of politicians demanded in an open letter today that Britain recognise the UN’s findings on genocide and implement the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in full.
They also called for the imposition of sanctions, including a full arms embargo and a ban on trade that supports Israel’s illegal settlements.
PSC deputy director Peter Leary said: “This timely letter from MPs and peers echoes the views of millions of people across Britain.
“For far too long the British government has wilfully ignored its responsibilities under the Genocide Convention and the findings of the International Court of Justice while actively supporting Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinian people.
“If Andy Burnham really intends to break from the toxic legacy of his predecessor, he must start by imposing wide-ranging sanctions against Israel, including a full arms embargo and a total ban on all trade that aids or assists Israel’s violations of international law.”
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
A woman uses an umbrella to try to cope with the scorching heat in London on 8 July. Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images
For months, ministers have refused to publish a report on how climate crisis will affect the UK. Burnham must release it
The past two months have seen exceptionally hot weather across much of Western Europe, with even the UK witnessing record temperatures. Even now, England and Wales are well into their third heatwave this year, with some areas on their 13th consecutive day of temperatures above 30°C.
More than 2,700 people are thought to have died as a result of the extreme heat in England and Wales, with scientists estimating that 440 people died during each of the three peak days of June’s record-breaking heatwave, when temperatures reached 37.7°C.
The situation was perhaps best summarised by the Met Office’s State of the UK Climate report for 2025, published last week: “What we used to think of as extreme, we increasingly see as normal.”
Introducing the report, its lead author, climate information scientist Mike Kendon, notes that “2025 was the UK’s warmest year on record, the sixth time this record has been broken in the 21st century so far”. He adds: “The latest 10-year period (2016-2025) is 1.33°C warmer than the period from 1961-1990”.
In these elevated temperatures, wildfires are a particular concern. This week, local authorities across France cancelled many Bastille Day events to minimise fire risks, not least from firework displays, and in the UK there were fears about what are becoming known as “firewaves”. Less cold winters mean more vegetation earlier in the spring, which, when dried out by heatwaves like those seen this year, increases the risk of wildfires. Last Tuesday, emergency services dealt with 19 such fires, including two major incidents, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Speaking to the Guardian, Maria Barbosa of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said: “What we are witnessing is climate change actively rewriting the vulnerability of the British landscape.” Perhaps the key element to draw out here is that this is not a change likely to affect us in the future; it is happening now.
Moreover, it relates to one of the surprising elements of the June heat: a public disconnect in the UK between acceptance of climate breakdown and relating this to carbon dioxide emissions from burning coal, oil or gas. People seemed unwilling or unable to make this link, even with the widespread personal experience of heat, the risk of wildfires and those reports of thousands of deaths.
One explanation is that many of our biggest media outlets often fail to point to the connection.
Researchers at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit reviewed 2,500 news reports on the heatwaves from the nine main national daily newspapers, finding that nearly three-quarters made no mention of climate breakdown. The Financial Times was most likely to mention the climate crisis, doing so in 50 of its 78 articles on the heatwaves, while The Sun was least likely to do so – making the link in only four of its 69 articles.
All too often, the reports gave the impression that the main challenge regarding the heatwaves will be adapting to the “new normal” of a hotter world, with plenty of coverage on changing our behaviour, converting buildings and being prepared for new health concerns.
But the challenge we face goes way beyond that. Adapting to a world where average temperatures are 2.5°C above current levels might be possible at considerable cost and human suffering, but unless we also cut carbon dioxide emissions, then we will have to keep on adapting to ever-higher temperatures. Concentrating on current adaptation alone is barely half the answer.
This is a known issue within government and is causing such concern that publicity is unwelcome, as shown by events relating to a study prepared by the Joint Intelligence Committee, which was officially described as a “national security assessment” and titled somewhat ominously: Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security.
The study was supposed to be launched at a landmark event on 9 October last year, but was held back, with one source telling The Guardian that insiders “feared it was being suppressed because the government was unwilling to face the issues raised.”
After pressure from MPs, including the official environmental audit committee, and Freedom of Information requests to publish the report, the government eventually released a redacted 14-page version in January this year. It warns of a high probability that the UK’s national security, financial prosperity and food security will come under threat from the climate crisis and the subsequent collapse of vital ecosystems that support food production.
Even that makes for very sober reading. The report identifies nine “planetary boundaries” as the safe limits identified for human pressure on nine Earth system processes crucial to maintaining a stable planet, such as climate change, biosphere integrity and oceanic acidification. Six have already been crossed.
The report concludes that ecosystem degradation is occurring across all global regions and every critical ecosystem is on a “pathway to collapse”, which it helpfully defines as “irreversible loss of function beyond repair”.
The implications are huge. This is an official government study by the combined intelligence agencies, and even if redacted, it is unable to hide the crisis ahead. One conclusion is obvious: if this is the greatest threat to our security and the integrity of the global ecosystem, we should be redirecting money away from conventional military spending and towards human and environmental security.
A key requirement of Andy Burnham as incoming prime minister should be the immediate release of the full report, followed by a vigorous public debate on where we go from here.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Palestine Action and Defend Our Juries protesters outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, July 30, 2026
Displaced Palestinians lineup to receive donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 23, 2026
