The exterior of the building where the annual conference of the Labor Party, which is in power in England, was held in Liverpool, was the scene of a demonstration by those protesting the declaration of the Palestine Action group, known in the country for its actions against companies doing business with Israel, as a banned organization.
Approximately 200 people participating in the "Remove the Ban" protest held a sit-in protest, carrying banners saying "I am against genocide, I support Palestine Action."
While the police detained the activists on charges of supporting a banned organization, a group of activists appeared before the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ed Miliband, who came to a restaurant in the protest area.
One of the activists who spoke to Miliband said, "Lift the ban on Palestine Action. Declare that genocide is taking place in Gaza. 200 people are being detained outside. If you want to chat, come and let's talk while we are detained. Please talk to us." he said.
The other activist stated that the decision to ban Palestine Action was taken by the ministers and said, "People outside are being detained in Great Britain because they protested peacefully in 2026, because of the decision taken by your ministers. They would love to chat with you right now. They are waiting for you across the street and they are all peaceful. There are retirees among them and they are detained just for holding a piece of paper." he said.
The first of the activists said that he, too, had voted for Miliband to become Labor leader in 2010.
Robert Del Naja, a member of the famous British band Massive Attack, was also detained during his solo protest in support of Palestine Action in Liverpool on Saturday.
The group is known for its actions against companies doing business with Israel
Palestine Action, which carries out actions aimed at stopping production or work in companies doing business with Israel in the UK, last came to the fore with the action it organized in England's Brize Norton Air Base in June 2025.
Palestine Action activists entered the base by cutting the wires, sprayed red paint on the engines of military planes, and left Palestinian flags on the planes.
After this action, the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Yvette Cooper, initiated the process of declaring the group a banned organization, and the group was banned in July 2025. After that date, the group called "Defend Our Juries", which continued legal initiatives to lift the ban, started actions in support of Palestine Action, and many people were detained during the actions.
Thousands of demonstrators carried banners saying "I am against genocide, I support Palestine Action" during the protests on the grounds that "freedom of expression was prevented" and were deliberately detained.
Elderly British people were mostly among the activists who deliberately committed the crime of "supporting a banned organisation", which is punishable by up to 14 years in prison under British law.
On February 13, the British Supreme Court found it unlawful to declare the Palestine Action group as a banned organization by the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and ruled to lift the ban.
However, the ban was not lifted as the government was given the right to appeal, and the London Metropolitan Police announced that it would continue to detain people who supported the group.
