Palestine Action protests throughout UK
Protests supporting Palestine Action are held today at Edinburgh, Caerdydd (Cardiff), Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Bristol, Sheffield, Exeter and Lancaster. Starting at 1pm, there are few reports so far.
UN Special Rapporteurs condemn Palestine Action ban
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/un-special-rapporteurs-condemn-palestine-action-ban
A woman is detained by police officers as supporters of Palestine Action take part in a mass action in Parliament Square, Westminster, central London, August 9, 2025FOUR UN special rapporteurs and an independent expert have sent a letter to the British government warning that the ban on Palestine Action is “not justified” and violates human rights.
The letter was originally sent on September 12, but its publication has been delayed for two months — the usual period given to allow the government time to respond.
Palestine Action, a direct action group which targeted Israeli arms firms, has been banned and designated a terrorist organisation since July 5.
The letter condemns the proscription as giving rise to “disproportionate restrictions” on the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and warns that “mere property damage is not sufficient to constitute terrorism according to international standards.”
The UN special rapporteurs highlight that designating groups as terrorist when they are not genuinely so is more common in states that are “authoritarian and lack legal and political cultures of respect for human rights.”
They also raised concerns over mass arrests under the Terrorism Act for supporting Palestine Action.
…
continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/un-special-rapporteurs-condemn-palestine-action-ban
Legal challenge to Palestine Action ban can go ahead, court rules
Judges reject Home Office attempt to block judicial review of group’s proscription under Terrorism Act
A legal challenge to the ban on Palestine Action can go ahead next month after the court of appeal rejected the Home Office’s attempt to block the case.
On Friday, three judges, led by the lady chief justice, Sue Carr, upheld Mr Justice Chamberlain’s decision to grant the Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori a judicial review of the group’s proscription under the Terrorism Act.
The ban, the first on a direct action group, came into effect on 5 July, categorising it alongside the likes of Islamic State and National Action. Since then, more than 2,000 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for allegedly supporting Palestine Action, most for holding signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
As well as dismissing the Home Office’s appeal, Carr said that the court of appeal was granting two further grounds on which to challenge the legality of the ban, in addition of the two already granted by Chamberlain.
…
Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/oct/17/legal-challenge-to-palestine-action-ban-can-go-ahead-court-rules
dizzy: I’ve committed to participate in the November protests.
Lift The Ban – November 2025 Action
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/lift-the-ban-november-2025
In November, Defend Our Juries will be escalating the campaign to Lift The Ban on Palestine Action ahead of the Judicial Review against the ban.
From Tuesday 18th November to Saturday 29th November, join thousands of others across the UK and in London on key dates, for the opportunity to hold seven peaceful words in unity.
There are signs that the authoritarian powers are cracking, the police are struggling to enforce this absurd law, with some police forces outright refusing to make arrests. International and national human rights groups, politicians and United Nations representatives have condemned both the ban and the subsequent attacks on our civil liberties. Unions are declaring that they will not recognise the ban, while over 1600 people were arrested prior to our October 4th action.
We will be holding our signs around the UK in key cities and towns, as well as converging on London for the Judicial Review Itself (25-27 November). Book time off now, and sign the form to tell us where you’ll be taking action.
We will not comply with anti-democratic laws. We call on the UK Government to Lift The Ban on Palestine Action and to end UK complicity in Israel’s genocide.
In unity, not uniformity, we join together.
*Please note that these actions come with significant risk of arrest and other legal consequences. Legal briefings and ongoing support are offered by Defend Our Juries and supporting organisations, to help ensure you are informed prior to taking action.
Sponsored by
It starts with Palestine protests. But where will the crackdown on Britain’s democratic freedoms end?
dizzy: This is a small excerpt (the closing paragraphs) of a long Guardian article by journalist Owen Jones. The whole article is recommended. Will these new laws lead to widespread challenges just as the proscription of Palestine Action has done? Is it too much to expect the arrogant Zionist Labour government to learn from it’s mistakes?
…
On the same day as the synagogue attack, the Israeli army killed at least 57 Palestinians in Gaza – another hideous tally in two years of daily atrocities that have left tens of thousands dead. British politicians and media outlets have barely concealed the lack of value they attach to Palestinian life. It is among the most brazen expressions of racism of our time. One wonders how history will judge this moment: politicians are accusing people who are protesting against genocide of inciting hatred, while they are supporting those who are committing genocide.
Our government has already crossed a dangerous threshold by proscribing Palestine Action, a non-violent, anti-genocide direct action group. More than 2,000 British protesters have been arrested, mostly for holding placards opposing genocide and supporting the banned organisation. Many of them are pensioners; one is a retired priest, another the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. When the state begins calling movements “terrorism” when they are nothing of the sort, it is attacking democracy itself.
It’s not hard to see where this all leads. In the US, Democrats helped to demonise pro-Palestinian protests: the former house speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested that some were “connected to Russia”, while Joe Biden called such protests antisemitic. In doing so, they only helped to legitimise the authoritarian crackdown on such protests – and on freedom of expression in general – under Donald Trump. If Nigel Farage becomes prime minister, a hard-right government would be granted sweeping powers to control dissent. What do you think a Reform government would do with this repressive toolkit? Our ancestors struggled, suffered and died to secure our freedoms. We will come to rue how casually we let them go.
Original article at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/06/palestine-protests-labour-democratic-freedoms-nigel-farage
