Liverpool police arrest pro-Palestine protesters
Detainees face bail restrictions as critics warn of clampdown on free speech
Police in Liverpool carried out further arrests after a protest near the Labour Party conference where demonstrators displayed pro-Palestine Action materials. Organisers said around 100 people assembled peacefully with signs protesting what they described as Labour’s complicity in atrocities; police said some attendees were found carrying items supporting Palestine Action and were detained under the proscription. Those held were later released on bail with restrictions, including exclusion from the city centre.
Since the group was banned under the Terrorism Act in July, authorities have increasingly used the proscription to arrest people seen to endorse or support it. Officials and prosecutors allege supporters organised online meetings to plan “mass civil disobedience” aimed at undermining enforcement of the ban; prosecutors say hundreds of meetings and some 1,500–1,600 arrests across the UK have followed, with more than 100 people charged in some counts. The proscription came after Palestine Action claimed responsibility for damaging two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, and makes membership or inviting support a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Defend Our Juries and other campaigners condemn the ban and the arrests as attacks on legitimate protest and free speech, accusing Labour of silencing debate at its conference. Amnesty International UK called recent detentions—some of which involved elderly activists—disproportionate and warned of chilling effects on peaceful dissent. Protesters and critics argue policing has at times targeted those merely holding placards or sitting quietly.
Police maintain they acted lawfully to enforce the proscription and public-order conditions; Merseyside officers said investigations continue. A legal challenge to the government’s proscription of Palestine Action is under way, and the issue remains contentious as authorities balance counterterrorism measures with rights to protest and expression.
