In U-turn, UK police say Palestine Action protesters will be arrested again

London’s Metropolitan Police warns that anyone showing support for Palestine Action is now “likely to be arrested”, weeks after the force said it would not do so.

Police had said in February that it would refrain from arresting supporters following the High Court’s ruling that the ban on Palestine Action as a terror group was unlawful.

But on Thursday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said the Met had reviewed its stance following the court’s decision to allow the government to appeal that decision.

“While the High Court has found the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful, it has confirmed the impact of that judgement will not take effect until the government’s appeal has been considered, which could take many months,” Harman said. “That means it is still a criminal offence to support Palestine Action.”

Harman said police “must enforce the law as it is at the time, not as it might be at a future date” and that continued enforcement “is likely to involve the arrest of those committing offences” where support for the group is displayed.

Earlier on Thursday, several activists linked to Palestine Action, who were released on bail last month, spoke at a news conference about life in jail and the lasting effects on their health following a lengthy prison hunger strike.

In June, the Labour-led UK government proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation, placing the group in the same legal category as armed organisations such as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), and making it a criminal offence to be a member of or publicly support the group.

The decision came soon after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire and sprayed red paint over military aircraft. Palestine Action claimed the incident.

In February, the High Court ruled that the government’s designation of Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful and disproportionate.

Following that ruling, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that she intended to challenge the decision in the Court of Appeal.

Since it was established in July 2020, Palestine Action (PA) has organised hundreds of protests across the UK, targeting the operations of companies it says profit from Israeli military actions, with particular emphasis on the Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems.

Over the past year, the ban led to a series of legal challenges, drew criticism from human rights groups, and prompted protests, amid warnings that the measure represented a draconian overreach that criminalised legitimate political dissent.

Thousands of peaceful protesters holding placards have been arrested in cases linked to alleged support for Palestine Action.