THANKS! CLICK TO SHARE
Hundreds of peaceful protestors have been arrested for protesting the ban on Palestine Action. Join the global campaign calling for the prosecution to stop.
Add your name to the letter, urging the UK’s Chief Prosecutors to drop all charges against peaceful protestors now.
Dear Directors of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Lord Advocate,
I am writing to you to express deep concern at the arrests and potential prosecutions of over 700 individuals peacefully protesting the UK government’s recent proscription of ‘Palestine Action’.
Since the ban against ‘Palestine Action’ came into effect on 5 July, over 700 people have been arrested across the country for their engagement in acts of peaceful protest opposing the proscription. The majority of these arrests have followed protests organised by Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a grassroots campaigning group, where people have held placards with the slogan, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.
522 of the over 700 arrests were carried out on 9 August alone, when DOJ held a civil disobedience protest in London, in front of Parliament. All have since been released under investigation or on bail. As of 21 August, 70 individuals across the UK have been formally charged with terror related offences, under either section 12 or section 13 of the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, with three individuals, at the time of writing, known to be appearing in court on 16 September.
As of 21 August 2025, 70 individuals across the UK have been formally charged with terror related offences, under either section 12 or section 13 of the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, with three individuals, at the time of writing, known to be appearing in court on 16 September.
Defend our Juries’ next protest is due to take place on 6 September with fears that more arrests are likely to be carried out.
Numerous human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented and exposed extensively Israel’s continuing genocide against Palestinians in the Occupied Gaza Strip.
Under international human rights law, to which the UK is bound, any restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim. Criminalising speech in this context is only permitted when it incites violence or advocates hatred or discrimination. Expressing support for Palestine Action does not, in itself, meet this threshold. The European Court of Human Rights’ case law confirms that such expressions, including those on placards, remain protected speech unless they directly and expressly incite violence. Arresting and prosecuting individuals in this context is a violation of the UK’s obligations under human rights law.
I urge you to uphold UK’s human rights commitments and drop the charges and not pursue prosecutions against all those who participated in peaceful protests in support of ‘Palestine Action’.
Yours sincerely,
Hundreds of peaceful protestors have been arrested for protesting the ban on Palestine Action. Join the global campaign calling for the prosecution to stop.
Add your name to the letter, urging the UK’s Chief Prosecutors to drop all charges against peaceful protestors now.
I am writing to you to express deep concern at the arrests and potential prosecutions of over 700 individuals peacefully protesting the UK government’s recent proscription of ‘Palestine Action’.
Since the ban against ‘Palestine Action’ came into effect on 5 July, over 700 people have been arrested across the country for their engagement in acts of peaceful protest opposing the proscription. The majority of these arrests have followed protests organised by Defend Our Juries (DOJ), a grassroots campaigning group, where people have held placards with the slogan, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.
522 of the over 700 arrests were carried out on 9 August alone, when DOJ held a civil disobedience protest in London, in front of Parliament. All have since been released under investigation or on bail. As of 21 August, 70 individuals across the UK have been formally charged with terror related offences, under either section 12 or section 13 of the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, with three individuals, at the time of writing, known to be appearing in court on 16 September.
As of 21 August 2025, 70 individuals across the UK have been formally charged with terror related offences, under either section 12 or section 13 of the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, with three individuals, at the time of writing, known to be appearing in court on 16 September.
Defend our Juries’ next protest is due to take place on 6 September with fears that more arrests are likely to be carried out.
Numerous human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented and exposed extensively Israel’s continuing genocide against Palestinians in the Occupied Gaza Strip.
Under international human rights law, to which the UK is bound, any restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to achieving a legitimate aim. Criminalising speech in this context is only permitted when it incites violence or advocates hatred or discrimination. Expressing support for Palestine Action does not, in itself, meet this threshold. The European Court of Human Rights’ case law confirms that such expressions, including those on placards, remain protected speech unless they directly and expressly incite violence. Arresting and prosecuting individuals in this context is a violation of the UK’s obligations under human rights law.
I urge you to uphold UK’s human rights commitments and drop the charges and not pursue prosecutions against all those who participated in peaceful protests in support of ‘Palestine Action’.
Yours sincerely,
End the Prosecution of Peaceful Protestors in the UK
The arrest of peaceful protestors is a violation of the UK’s international obligations to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. This can’t go unchallenged.
Over 700 people have all been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for peacefully protesting the banning of Palestine Action in the UK.
It is a violation of the UK’s international obligations.
It is disproportionate to the point of absurdity.
And it simply can’t go unchallenged.
On the 9th August 2025, 522 individuals were arrested in the UK for peacefully expressing opposition to the ban on Palestine Action. This follows over 200 people who were previously arrested for taking similar actions.
But this hasn’t happened in a vacuum. It has been years of crackdown on our right to protest.
Amnesty International has condemned the use of counter-terror powers to target peaceful protestors.
The Chief Prosecutors of England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland now have the power to decide whether to prosecute the individuals who have been arrested.
We are urging them to end all prosecutions against these peaceful protestors.
Will you join us?