UK crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism draws European criticism

Human rights organisations across the UK and Europe have condemned the mass arrests in central London on Saturday, where hundreds gathered in Parliament Square to show solidarity with Palestine Action — a direct-action network campaigning to end Britain’s arms trade with Israel and halt what they describe as UK complicity in war crimes against Palestinians.

The arrests come just weeks after the UK Home Office controversially added Palestine Action to its list of proscribed organisations under counterterrorism legislation — a move critics say criminalises legitimate political protest and erodes the right to free assembly. Groups including Amnesty International UK, Liberty, and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights have urged ministers to reverse the decision, calling it “a dangerous precedent in a democratic society.”

Saturday’s rally drew protesters from across the UK and Europe, many waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Witnesses reported that police kettled demonstrators and detained them despite the protest remaining peaceful. “We are witnessing a deliberate attempt to intimidate people from speaking out against the killing of civilians in Gaza,” said one human rights lawyer present at the rally.

The government claims the ban follows an incident last month in which Palestine Action members entered a Royal Air Force base and caused damage to refuelling aircraft valued at £7 million (€8.2 million). Campaigners, however, insist the action was aimed at disrupting the flow of arms and military equipment to Israel, which they say are being used in clear violation of international humanitarian law.

The crackdown comes amid growing public and parliamentary pressure on the UK and EU to suspend arms exports to Israel, as reports from Gaza highlight a worsening humanitarian catastrophe and possible breaches of the Geneva Conventions.