Overview
- Police arrested 28 people in Nottingham, 11 in Oxford and 12 in Newcastle during silent sign‑holding protests calling for the Palestine Action ban to be lifted, while Edinburgh saw no arrests.
- Forces warned that displaying support for the proscribed group could constitute an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000, with Nottinghamshire Police emphasizing that peaceful protest would be facilitated but the law enforced.
- At Woolwich Crown Court, six defendants accused over an August 2024 break‑in at Elbit Systems UK near Bristol went on trial on charges including aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder.
- Prosecutors told jurors the operation was meticulously planned and involved sledgehammers used to damage property and threaten staff, alleging one defendant struck police sergeant Kate Evans with a sledgehammer; the judge instructed jurors to focus solely on the evidence.
- The protests, organized by Defend Our Juries across 18 locations from November 18 to 29, come as more than 2,000 people have been arrested to date under terrorism provisions and after UN experts and an independent commission questioned the ban and the breadth of UK counter‑terrorism laws.