Overview
- Protesters gathered outside the Labour conference in Liverpool on Sunday and held a mostly silent sign-holding vigil calling for Palestine Action to be de-proscribed, with eyewitness counts of more than 200 people and police making multiple arrests including musician Robert Del Naja.
- Police cited the July 2025 proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act when detaining demonstrators for showing support of a banned group, an offence that can carry prison terms of up to 14 years.
- Organisers Defend Our Juries framed the action as an "integrity test" of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s promise to curb Britain’s role in Israel’s actions and said they expected further arrests and ongoing civil disobedience.
- The protest highlights a split between campaigners who want wider sanctions on Israel and the Labour leadership, which has introduced targeted measures on illegal settlements while saying it will continue trade with Israel and opposing BDS.
- Human rights groups and legal experts have warned that using terrorism legislation against peaceful demonstrators risks chilling free speech and could fuel more legal challenges to the proscription and police enforcement in the weeks ahead.