Met Police report 139 arrests at London protest against Palestine Action ban

Hundreds of people gathered outside the US embassy in London on Saturday 31 October 2026 to oppose the UK's proscription of Palestine Action. Police arrested people at the scene.

In a statement on X, the Metropolitan Police said: "So far this afternoon, officers have arrested 48 people. The majority of arrests have been for expressing support for a proscribed organisation." In a later statement on X, quoted by The Guardian, the force said: "139 people have now been arrested. Officers remain on scene and are continuing to make arrests."

The campaign group Defend Our Juries organised the protest. Protesters held placards reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action". Demonstrators also gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh. Al Jazeera said there were no reports of arrests there.

The protest came ahead of a UK Supreme Court appeal against the ban, scheduled for Wednesday 4 November. The proscription took effect in July 2025.

Before the event, the Met warned participants they faced arrest as part of a "robust policing operation". It said anyone organising, giving instructions or providing logistical support would probably be committing an offence.

According to The Guardian, the protest took place in Battersea, south London, and Commander Adam Slonecki led the operation. The Guardian also reported that more than 160 people were arrested or reported for summons at a similar demonstration outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool last month.

According to Al Jazeera, the ban was introduced under then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Andy Burnham took office in July. Al Jazeera said Palestine Action is on the same list of banned organisations as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). The Guardian reported that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has backed the ban, remains in post.

What is disputed

• Arrests: Reports cite 48 or 139, from successive Met statements. The reports do not include a final total, or say whether anyone was charged.
• Crowd size: Reports say hundreds. The Guardian cites organisers' figure of around 400. The reports do not include a police estimate.
• Scale: The Guardian called it the largest mass demonstration against the proscription under Burnham's premiership. Al Jazeera called it the first mass protest against the ban since he took office.

What each side says

The Guardian quoted Commander Slonecki as saying those attending "are essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime".

A Defend Our Juries spokesperson, quoted by The Guardian, called the response "overzealous" and said it showed how far authorities "will go to appease American interests". The group says more than 4,000 people have been arrested for supporting Palestine Action since the ban began. The reports do not independently verify this figure.

According to Al Jazeera, Labour MP John McDonnell wrote on X that protesting against a proscription cannot automatically be treated as supporting the group. Al Jazeera quoted Felix Jakens of Amnesty International UK as calling the arrests "a disgraceful attack on freedom of speech".

The reports do not include responses from the UK government, the Home Office or the US embassy.

Analysis

The protest highlights a continuing tension between counter-terrorism law and the right to protest, which the Supreme Court appeal on 4 November is expected to address. If the court upholds the ban, police may continue mass arrests at similar events; one protester quoted by The Guardian said she had already been arrested "five or six" times and was acting on principle. If the court rules against it, the legal status of past arrests could come under scrutiny. The new government's stance is also a factor: supporters of the ban point to the law, while critics hope for a policy change. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not show which outcome is more likely.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.