Over 100 Arrested in UK Gaza Protests Tied to Banned Group
20th July 2025
More than 100 protesters were arrested during Gaza demonstrations alleged to support the proscribed terror group Palestine Action. It’s the third consecutive weekend of protests against the ban, which was instituted in late June.
The arrests, on Saturday, July 19th, stem from campaigning coordinated by ‘Defend Our Juries,’ which seeks to push back against the criminalisation of ‘direct action’ group Palestine Action. There were 65 arrests in London, 17 in Bristol, 16 in Manchester and six in Truro, Cornwall. Many of those arrested had displayed placards or T-shirts that were worded or typeset in ways that implied support for the illegal organisation and were designed to test the law.
Previously, local police have been criticised for their ‘two-tier policing’ of pro-Palestine marches. Now, one problem of using the serious vandalism committed by Palestine Action to group it with Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS in English law is becoming clear: its supporters can present themselves as ‘free speech martyrs’ when arrested (despite having zero commitment to free speech themselves, including for that of their ally Peter Tatchell). Meanwhile Iran’s murderous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still remains legal in Britain.