Police remove a demonstrator at a protest in support of Palestine Action at Labour conference
UK police arrest elderly protester over Palestine Action sign
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- Police arrested protesters at a demonstration supporting Palestine Action outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
- An elderly demonstrator was detained while holding a sign reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
- Palestine Action has been a proscribed organisation under UK terrorism law since 2025.
UK police arrested an elderly protester outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool Sunday after he displayed a sign supporting Palestine Action, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation under British law.
More than 200 people gathered outside the conference on Sunday for a silent demonstration organised by Defend Our Juries, with protesters holding signs including “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
Police officers later moved in to arrest demonstrators, including an elderly man who had been sitting beneath a tree. Another protester was arrested after officers told him that his sign expressed support for a proscribed organisation.
Merseyside Police said protesters had been displaying material in support of Palestine Action, which is prohibited under the Terrorism Act. The force said a 61-year-old man from Bristol was arrested on suspicion of a terrorism offence during a protest in Liverpool on Saturday.
Palestine Action was proscribed by the UK government in 2025, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the organisation under the Terrorism Act. The government has maintained that the designation followed actions by the group including an attack on military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.
The demonstrations have been organised by Defend Our Juries as part of a campaign challenging the proscription. Organisers argue that people should not face terrorism charges for peacefully displaying messages supporting Palestine Action.
The arrests came as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prepared to address his first Labour Party conference as leader. Protesters have called on his government to remove Palestine Action from the list of proscribed organisations.
Rights groups have also criticised the use of terrorism legislation against demonstrators. Amnesty International UK's chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri described the arrests of people holding placards outside the conference as a concern for freedom of expression.
The protest was part of a wider series of demonstrations challenging the ban. Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja was also arrested in Liverpool on Saturday after holding a sign reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
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