A police commander warned that those who help organize the demonstration, give instructions, or provide logistical support could be arrested and charged with offenses under the Terrorism Act.
Follow us on GoogleLondon police warned Friday that demonstrators planning to convene outside the United States Embassy in the British capital and express support for the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action are at risk of arrest.
The organization Defend Our Juries, which is organizing the protest, announced that hundreds of people are expected to participate in the demonstration on Saturday afternoon outside the embassy in the Battersea area on the south bank of the Thames. A similar protest is also planned outside the American Consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland.
"Anyone planning to attend this event knows that supporting a proscribed organization is an unlawful act. In effect, participants are gathering with the deliberate intention of committing an offense," warned the commander of the police operation, Adam Slonecki.
He clarified that even those not carrying signs, but who help organize the demonstration, give instructions, or provide logistical support, could be arrested and charged with offenses under the Terrorism Act.
Organizers vow to move forward with protest plan
In contrast, the protest organizers declared that they do not intend to be deterred. In a released statement, they called on participants to carry signs reading, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." According to their claims, more than 3,850 people have already been arrested in Britain since July 2025 in protests against the proscription of the organization.
"This is precisely the time, on Halloween, to expose the frightening reality of this authoritarian overreach and its dystopian consequences," said a spokesperson for the organizers.
"By targeting our actions at the US Embassy in London and the Consulate in Edinburgh, we will expose not only the Trumpian character of this unprecedented assault on freedom of expression, but also what has always stood behind the ban on Palestine Action, appeasing Trump and appeasing Israeli arms companies whose operations were disrupted by the group's actions."
According to the organizers' claims, the decision to outlaw the organization was made following American pressure after the group's activists vandalized US President Donald Trump’s golf resort in Scotland with paint.
In their statement, they recalled that Trump defined the act as terrorism and that talks took place between him and then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding the organization. This reflects the organizers' view of the motives behind the British decision.
Palestine Action's notoriety
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, rose to prominence through actions directed against defense companies maintaining ties with Israel, primarily Elbit Systems. Its activists broke into facilities, vandalized property, and caused damage. In June 2025, the group was declared a proscribed organization in the UK under the Terrorism Act, and the ban remained in force following an appellate court ruling in June of this year.
The protest is scheduled to take place just days before a British Supreme Court hearing on November 4 and 5 regarding the ban. The protest organizers are demanding that the court overturn the decision, arguing that it disproportionately harms freedom of speech and the right to protest.
"This mass protest, and the mass arrests we anticipate following it, will expose the fundamental rights to freedom of expression at stake in the Supreme Court hearing," the organizers said.
Police, for their part, made clear their intention to enforce the law. "This is not an attempt to prevent people from expressing their views, but determined action in instances where expressing a view entails criminal activity," Slonecki said, urging prospective participants to reconsider their attendance.
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · YOAV ETIEL
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