Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSeven charged in London after a protest supporting Palestine Action, as UK plans to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.
LONDON (Reuters) -Seven people have been charged on Tuesday following a protest in London in support of Palestine Action, a campaign organisation the British government has proposed to ban under anti-terrorism laws.
The ban, which was announced on Monday and will be laid before parliament next week, would make it a criminal offence to belong to the group after its activists damaged two UK military planes in protest at London's support for Israel.
Palestine Action, which called the ban "an unhinged reaction", on Monday was forced to change the location of a planned protest to London's Trafalgar Square after police banned it from staging a demonstration outside parliament.
The Metropolitan Police said although the protest began peacefully, there were clashes between officers and people in the crowd, with 13 arrests made. Of those, seven people have been charged.
One was cautioned while the remainder were bailed or released under investigation to allow further enquiries to take place, the police said. Charges include assaulting emergency workers and a racially aggravated offence.
Palestine Action has regularly targeted British sites connected to Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems as well as other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza in 2023.
In its latest and most high-profile action, two Palestine Action members entered a Royal Air Force base in central England on Friday.
The ban would put Palestine Action on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda or ISIS under British law. Condemning the ban, Amnesty International UK said that "government embarrassment at security breaches is no excuse for interfering with human rights".
(Reporting by Catarina Demony;Editing by Leslie Adler)
Seven people were charged following a protest in support of Palestine Action, which was marked by clashes between officers and the crowd.
Charges include assaulting emergency workers and racially aggravated offenses, with some individuals being bailed or released under investigation.
Palestine Action condemned the proposed ban as 'an unhinged reaction' to their activism, which has included targeting companies linked to Israeli defense.
Amnesty International UK criticized the ban, stating that it equates Palestine Action with terrorist organizations like Hamas, al-Qaeda, or ISIS under British law.
Recently, Palestine Action members entered a Royal Air Force base in central England as part of their ongoing campaign against companies linked to Israel.
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