More than 400 people are expected to gather outside the United States embassy in London on October 31 in a coordinated demonstration challenging the British government’s proscription of the activist group Palestine Action.
Participants plan to carry signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,” while a parallel rally is set for the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland, according to the campaign group Defend Our Juries.
The protests come amid growing controversy over the UK government’s July 2025 decision to outlaw Palestine Action, a move that has led to over 3,850 arrests of individuals expressing solidarity with the group, Defend Our Juries reported.
Organizers timed the demonstrations to coincide with a crucial legal milestone: on November 4 and 5, the UK Supreme Court will hear an appeal filed by Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.
‘Arrested again and again’
Among those detained during previous demonstrations was Teresa, a retired teacher turned activist who has been arrested several times for opposing the ban. “It’s a badge of honour, to be able to do this for Gaza,” she told Al Jazeera.
She is not alone. Recent arrests include musician Rob del Naja of Massive Attack, 94-year-old human rights lawyer Margaret Owen, former government advisor Jonathan Porritt, and the Reverend Sue Parfitt.
Targeting the U.S. Embassy
Protest organizers aim to highlight suspicions that the UK’s ban on Palestine Action was influenced by pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The proscription followed an incident in which activists spray-painted Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland. The U.S. president labeled the act “terrorism” on his Truth Social platform and praised then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s handling of the situation.
During the subsequent legal challenge, it emerged that Trump and Starmer spoke twice by phone about Palestine Action in March 2025. Starmer reportedly requested updates from Police Scotland and briefed Trump on arrest developments.
Eric Trump also met with Scottish First Minister John Swinney prior to the ban being enacted, and Freedom of Information documents revealed that the Turnberry protest was discussed during these meetings.
Additionally, the Halloween protests are scheduled just three days after a High Court hearing in Glasgow concerning the trial of the Turnberry protesters. Prosecutors are pursuing sentences against the seven defendants under “terrorism” statutes, a tactic critics have described as “completely disproportionate.”
In the same week that prosecutors announced this approach, Washington officially designated Palestine Action a “terrorist organization,” further complicating Huda Ammori’s ability to fundraise for her Supreme Court appeal, according to Defend Our Juries.
Rising Calls for Repeal
This week, prominent figures including actors Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, and Susan Sarandon, along with broadcaster Gary Lineker, signed an open letter published on the cover of New Statesman magazine urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s administration to abandon the “draconian” legislation.
Activists claim the ban has also indirectly affected UK book sales of works by Irish novelist Sally Rooney, a known supporter of Palestine Action.
However, when author Sarah Helm—spouse of National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell—publicly endorsed Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police took no enforcement action. This selective response, according to Defend Our Juries, underscores the inconsistent application of the ban.
Shami Chakrabarti, a prominent member of the ruling Labour Party, has called on the Home Secretary to revoke the proscription. Speaking to LBC Radio, the former shadow attorney general argued that the ban undermines counterterrorism principles and that such powers should only be used in exceptional circumstances and regularly reviewed.
“I’d better be careful what I say, or I’ll be arrested,” she joked.
Government Defends Its Position
The UK government maintains that Palestine Action’s documented use of break-ins and property damage targeting defense contractors—including Israeli firm Elbit Systems—meets the threshold for proscription under anti-terrorism laws. The Court of Appeal previously characterized the group as a clandestine network operating through covert cells.
Defend Our Juries rejects this characterization and insists its demonstrations remain nonviolent.
“This mass defiance—and the inevitable wave of arrests—will bring into sharp focus the core issues of free speech and civil liberties ahead of the Supreme Court hearing,” a spokesperson for the group stated.