Lift the ban!
Lift the ban!
Yesterday the police raided the houses of our colleagues in Defend Our Juries, including several people who have worked closely with the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice, and have helped us organise two major events on protest and the criminalisation of climate defenders.
Our colleagues remain in police custody and are at risk of being charged under section 12 of the Terrorism Act.
This offence carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years. Amnesty, who issued an “urgent action” last week – the strongest notice of human rights violations regularly issued by the organisation – said in their statement:
“The mass peaceful demonstrations they have organised over recent weeks are protected by international human rights law – and to think they run the risk of being imprisoned for up to 14 years is a terrifying example of the UK authorities’ willingness to use authoritarian practices to silence dissent.
We share those concerns about the turn that this highly politicised clampdown on the right to protest is taking.
Since the UK government proscribed Palestine Action on 5 July 2025, it is estimated that police forces across Britain have made more than 700 arrests connected to protests against the ban.
In the week following the ban, 221 people were detained under the Terrorism Act, including 58 arrests for inviting or expressing support and 162 arrests for carrying or displaying material deemed supportive of the group.
A major demonstration in London’s Parliament Square on 9th August resulted in more than 500 arrests, making it the largest single-day policing operation in a decade.
Almost all of those people were arrested for holding placards or wearing T-shirts in support of Palestine Action. Last week, famous film screenwriter Paul Laverty was arrested after wearing a T-shirt that referenced Palestine Action at a protest outside St Leonard’s police station.
We will continue to support and work with Defend Our Juries, and to campaign for the release of our colleagues and at the same time remain committed to supporting their campaign to lift the ban.