UK Police Crack Down on Over 50 Peaceful Protesters Outside Labour Conference Amid Palestine Solidarity
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More than 50 activists were detained by Merseyside Police during a protest supporting the proscribed Palestine Action group outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, drawing fierce condemnation from human rights organizations for the suppression of free expression.
Merseyside Police arrested over 50 individuals who dared to display material in support of Palestine Action—a group unjustly labeled a 'terrorist organization' by the UK government under the repressive Terrorism Act in July 2025. The arrests occurred outside the Labour Party conference centre in Liverpool on Sunday, where over 250 courageous protesters gathered with banners backing the banned group, standing up for Palestinian rights and against state censorship.
Police statements attempted to justify the crackdown by claiming respect for lawful protest while prioritizing 'public safety and order.' Officers interrogated demonstrators about their intentions before detaining them, wielding the draconian Terrorism Act as a weapon to silence dissent.
Among those targeted was Robert Del Naja, renowned singer for Massive Attack, whose arrest underscores the breadth of the crackdown. Activists also confronted Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in a local restaurant, demanding the government end its criminalization of Palestine Action and recognize the ongoing genocide in Gaza—a demand Miliband shamefully refused to address.
Amnesty International UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri condemned the mass arrests as 'a truly shameful attack on freedom of speech,' urging the new prime minister to overhaul laws that are being used to crush the right to protest. The demonstration was organized by Defend Our Juries, a group exposing the Labour Party's complicity in the proscription of Palestine Action.
The ban on Palestine Action has ignited a wave of civil disobedience, with over 3,600 arrests since July 2025 as the state intensifies its repression. The UK Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to this authoritarian ban after the Court of Appeal, in a blow to civil liberties, upheld it in June.