Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a UK-based campaign group opposing the government’s ban on Palestine Action, has said that seven of its spokespeople were arrested by counter-terrorism police ahead of a rally planned for Saturday.
“The movement to end the genocide on Palestine and to end Israel’s war crimes is an unstoppable force of love and solidarity,” the group said on X.
The arrests took place just hours before a press conference meant to announce Saturday’s mass action against the “terror” ban on Palestine Action in Parliament Square.
The protest is set for September 6 from 1pm, with around 1,000 people pledging to hold signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
The press conference has been pushed back to 2pm on Wednesday. DOJ has said the action will go ahead on Saturday despite the arrests of key spokespeople.
The group’s demonstrations are entirely peaceful. Many participants — mostly older people — sit in public holding signs in support of the proscribed direct action group Palestine Action.
Kerry Moscogiuri, Director of Campaigns and Communications at Amnesty International UK, said: “The news that five of Defend Our Juries’ lead organisers have had their homes raided and been arrested under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act is incredibly concerning.
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“The mass peaceful demonstrations they have organised over recent weeks are protected by international human rights law – and to think they run the risk of being imprisoned for up to 14 years is a terrifying.”
Palestine Action ban
Palestine Action was banned in July under the 2000 Terrorism Act after activists spray-painted planes at a Royal Air Force base.
Since then, DOJ has organised regular demonstrations against the ban, with participants repeatedly detained under counter-terrorism powers.
Police figures show more than 100 people have already been charged with Terrorism Act offences linked to support for Palestine Action.
Last month, more than 500 people were detained in London, with the vast majority accused of carrying placards or signs allegedly supporting the group.
A large number of those detained were elderly, and the Parliament Square protest on 9 August was described as one of the biggest mass arrests under terrorism laws in recent years.
Defend Our Juries said the upcoming London rally would only go ahead if 1,000 people pledged to take part.
They confirmed this threshold had been reached and said they now expect the number of attendees to surpass 1,500. Unlike the August protest, which lasted one hour, organisers said this demonstration would continue indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the main organiser of pro-Palestine marches in the UK, condemned the arrests and expressed solidarity with DOJ.
The arrests came a day after the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 63,600 Palestinians.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
