Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 27
UK Police Arrest 50+ Palestine Action Supporters at Labour Conference as Ban Fuels 3,600 Detentions
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 27

UK Police Arrest 50+ Palestine Action Supporters at Labour Conference as Ban Fuels 3,600 Detentions

2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 27

Summary

  • More than 50 protesters were arrested outside Labour’s conference in Liverpool after displaying signs backing Palestine Action, a group banned under the Terrorism Act.
  • About 250 demonstrators joined the Defend Our Juries protest, and officers moved in after asking whether they would keep holding the signs; singer Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack was among those detained.
  • Amnesty International UK called the arrests a shameful attack on free speech, while protesters said risking detention was justified to challenge the ban and spotlight Gaza.
  • The Liverpool action is part of a wider civil disobedience campaign since Palestine Action was outlawed in July 2025, with more than 3,600 people arrested; the UK Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge after an appeals court upheld the ban in June.

Insights

Could the mass prosecution of over 2,250 citizens for holding protest signs ultimately force the UK to rewrite its anti-terror legislation?
Will the UK Supreme Court rule that arresting peaceful protesters under terrorism laws violates human rights in the upcoming 2026 hearing?
How does the arrest of a 94-year-old barrister redefine the boundary between lawful free speech and illegal terrorist support in the UK?