More than 50 arrests during protests against Palestine Action ban in Liverpool

Police arrested more than 50 people during protests against the ban on the group Palestine Action on the sidelines of the British Labor Party conference in Liverpool, northern England. Some of those present showed materials in support of the group, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Great Britain, police said on Sunday evening.

According to the British news agency PA, more than 250 demonstrators had gathered in front of the conference center where the ruling Labor Party meets until Wednesday. Many had posters and banners with slogans such as “I support Palestine Action”.

Amnesty: “Attack on freedom of expression”

Amnesty International criticized the arrests as a “shameful attack on freedom of expression,” according to PA.

A spokesman for Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, said, according to PA: "We had hoped the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham would make the sensible decision to lift the ban on Palestine Action." Maintaining the ban would be “illogical, unsustainable and immoral” and its implementation would waste a lot of resources, the spokesman said.

Palestine Action classified as terrorist

Palestine Action was designated terrorist in early July 2025 after activists invaded an air base and sprayed paint on Royal Air Force planes. However, High Court judges ruled in February this year that the group's ban was unlawful under terrorism laws. The ban remained in effect for the time being to allow time for a possible appeal.

In June, an appeals court finally ruled that the ban was legal. According to the PA news agency, the judges ruled that it was a “justified and proportionate” interference with freedom of expression. Hundreds of people have been arrested in protests against the ban since February.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests in British cities.