UK police arrest more than 50 demonstrators outside Labour conference over banned Palestine Action group
More than 50 people were detained by Merseyside Police during a protest supporting the proscribed Palestine Action group outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, prompting criticism from human-rights groups.
Merseyside Police said they arrested over 50 individuals who were displaying material in support of Palestine Action, a group the UK government listed as a terrorist organization under the Terrorism Act in July 2025. The arrests took place outside the Labour Party conference centre in Liverpool on Sunday, where more than 250 protesters had gathered with banners backing the banned group.
Police statements emphasized that they respected lawful protest rights while aiming to maintain public safety and order. Officers asked demonstrators if they intended to continue holding signs before detaining them, citing the Terrorism Act as the legal basis for the arrests.
Among those taken into custody was Robert Del Naja, singer for the band Massive Attack. Activists also confronted Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in a local restaurant, demanding the ban be lifted and a declaration of genocide in Gaza; Miliband reportedly declined to comment.
Amnesty International UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri called the arrests “a truly shameful attack on freedom of speech” and urged the new prime minister to reform the laws protecting the right to demonstrate. The protest was organised by the group Defend Our Juries, which aims to highlight the proscription of Palestine Action at the conference.
The ban on Palestine Action has sparked a civil-disobedience campaign, with more than 3,600 arrests recorded since the July 2025 designation. The UK Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a challenge to the ban after the Court of Appeal upheld it in June.