Mass Arrests at London Pro-Palestine Protest After Ban on Group Behind RAF Aircraft Sabotage
10 August 2025 – London: Hundreds were arrested during a demonstration in Parliament Square yesterday, where protesters openly defied the UK’s ban on the activist organisation Palestine Action. The arrests have reignited debate over the balance between national security and the right to protest.
What Happened Yesterday
The protest, organised by Defend Our Juries under the banner “Lift the Ban,” drew an estimated 800 people to Parliament Square. Many carried placards reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” The Metropolitan Police confirmed they arrested between 365 and 474 people for offences linked to supporting a proscribed organisation, alongside eight arrests for assaulting officers or other public order offences.
Officers formed containment lines to detain those displaying banners or chanting slogans deemed to express support for the banned group. Amnesty International UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh called the mass arrests “entirely disproportionate,” adding: “Treating peaceful demonstrators as terrorists is a gross misuse of the law.”
Why Palestine Action Was Banned
In July 2025, Palestine Action was proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 following a high-profile security breach at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Activists broke into the base and sabotaged two RAF Voyager KC2/KC3 tanker aircraft—military assets crucial to the UK’s air-to-air refuelling capability.
The damage was valued in the hundreds of thousands of pounds and took both aircraft out of operational service for weeks. Defence officials stressed the incident’s seriousness, warning that in the current global climate—marked by rising tensions in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia—removing strategic resources from service posed a real risk to the UK’s military readiness.
Government’s Position
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the ban: “The right to protest is protected, but supporting a proscribed organisation that has carried out serious damage to our defence capabilities crosses the line into criminality.” The proscription makes it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, to express public support for the group or be affiliated with it.
Criticism and Civil Liberties Concerns
Civil rights groups, UN experts, and prominent academics—including Naomi Klein and Angela Davis—have condemned the proscription, warning that it conflates legitimate protest with terrorism. Critics argue the move sets a dangerous precedent for criminalising political dissent.
“Something as simple as holding a sign is now a criminal act. This is a direct attack on free expression,” said one protester as police escorted them to a waiting van.
“We oppose genocide—yet we are treated like terrorists,” added another attendee, holding a handmade placard.
What’s Next
- Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has been granted a judicial review to challenge the ban.
- Parliament is expected to debate the proportionality of proscription powers under the Terrorism Act.
- Further protests—both in support of Palestine and in opposition to the group—are expected in the coming weeks.
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