British police arrested at least 139 supporters of the Palestine Action movement on Saturday after they staged protests in London and Edinburgh, days before a court appeal hearing over the government’s controversial ban on the group.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Saturday night, October 31, that London’s Metropolitan Police began making arrests shortly after hundreds of people gathered outside the US Embassy as part of a mass protest.
According to the report, British authorities have arrested more than 4,000 people on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action since the government outlawed the group under anti-terrorism laws in July 2025.
Many of those arrested, including elderly citizens and Holocaust survivors, displayed signs at the demonstrations reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
The ban makes membership in or support for the movement a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
