About 400 supporters of Palestine Action face arrest by the Metropolitan Police when they gather for a demonstration outside the US embassy on Saturday, with Met Commander Adam Slonecki saying placard-holders should expect to be arrested and people playing key roles in organising, giving instructions or providing logistical support will very likely be committing an offence and face enforcement action.
Palestine Action was proscribed in June 2025, making it an offence under the Terrorism Act to express support for the group. Campaign group Defend Our Juries has invited participants to display signs reading: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action".
Scotland Yard said demonstrations linked to Palestine Action "take significant police resources away from the neighbourhoods and communities where they are most needed". Figures obtained through a freedom of information request showed the Met spent £1.3 million policing six "Palestine-Israel public order events" across June and July 2026.
Met Commander Adam Slonecki, leading the operation, said: "The public would rightly expect us to be proactive and not just stand by and wait for offences to be committed." He said anyone officers consider to be playing a key role in organising the event, giving instructions to others and/or providing logistical support "will very likely be committing an offence and face enforcement action".
Defend Our Juries said the planned action came ahead of a Supreme Court hearing regarding the ban, and that it chose the US embassy because the US had "not shied away" from involvement in the Palestine conflict. In August, the US government imposed sanctions on Palestine Action, classifying it as a terrorist organization.
In June, five Court of Appeal judges concluded that banning Palestine Action was a "justified and proportionate" restriction on freedom of expression, reversing a High Court ruling from February in which three judges deemed the decision by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper to proscribe the organisation unlawful, following a legal challenge by co-founder Huda Ammori.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Police say the event is planned around committing an offence, meaning a single protest could produce about 400 arrests and test how far officers will go in enforcing the proscription.
- The demonstration is timed before a Supreme Court hearing on whether the ban itself is lawful.
- The Met says the events draw resources from communities, with FOI figures showing £1.3 million spent policing six "Palestine-Israel public order events" in June and July 2026.
Background
Palestine Action is a UK protest group that has staged direct actions linked to the arms trade. It was proscribed in June 2025, making support for it an offence. The ban has been contested in the courts: a High Court ruling against it was overturned by the Court of Appeal in June, and a Supreme Court hearing is pending.
Key Perspectives
Metropolitan Police: says attendees know that supporting a proscribed organisation is unlawful and are "essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime"; placard-holders, organisers, those giving instructions and those providing logistical support should expect enforcement.
Defend Our Juries: says the action comes ahead of a Supreme Court hearing and selected the US embassy because the US has "not shied away" from involvement in the Palestine conflict.
Court of Appeal: concluded that banning Palestine Action was a "justified and proportionate" restriction on freedom of expression.
US government: imposed sanctions on Palestine Action in August, classifying it as a terrorist organization.
What to Watch
- Saturday's demonstration outside the US embassy and how many arrests the Met makes.
- The Supreme Court hearing on the ban, which Defend Our Juries says the protest precedes.
- Whether the Supreme Court upholds the Court of Appeal's conclusion or agrees with the earlier High Court ruling that proscription was unlawful.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe Met is prepared to arrest about 400 Palestine Action supporters at the US embassy protest.The Independent UK: “Met Police prepared to arrest 400 Palestine Action supporters at US embassy protest. Around 400 supporters of Palestine Action face arrest by the Metropolitan Police when they gather for a demonstration outside the US embassy on Saturday.”
- SupportedCommander Adam Slonecki said attendees are “essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime”.The Independent UK: “All those intending on coming to this event know that supporting a proscribed organisation is unlawful – they are essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime.”
- SupportedAbout 400 supporters face arrest when they gather outside the US embassy on Saturday.The Independent UK: “Around 400 supporters of Palestine Action face arrest by the Metropolitan Police when they gather for a demonstration outside the US embassy on Saturday.”
- SupportedSlonecki said placard-holders should expect to be arrested.The Independent UK: “I want to be clear – it is not just those who hold up placards who should expect to be arrested.”
- Partly supportedPeople playing key organising, instruction-giving or logistical-support roles will very likely be committing an offence and face enforcement action.The Independent UK: “Anyone officers consider to be playing a key role in organising the event, giving instructions to others and/or providing logistical support will very likely be committing an offence and face enforcement action.”
- SupportedSlonecki said the public would expect police to be proactive rather than wait for offences to be committed.The Independent UK: “The public would rightly expect us to be proactive and not just stand by and wait for offences to be committed.”
- SupportedPalestine Action was proscribed in June 2025, and expressing support for it is an offence under the Terrorism Act.The Independent UK: “Expressing support for the proscribed group constitutes an offence under the Terrorism Act, following its ban in June 2025.”
- SupportedDefend Our Juries invited participants to display signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”.The Independent UK: “Campaign group Defend Our Juries has invited participants to display signs reading: "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action".”
- SupportedScotland Yard said demonstrations linked to Palestine Action take significant police resources away from neighbourhoods and communities where they are most needed.The Independent UK: “Scotland Yard stated that demonstrations linked to Palestine Action "take significant police resources away from the neighbourhoods and communities where they are most needed".”
- SupportedThe Met spent £1.3 million policing six “Palestine-Israel public order events” across June and July 2026, according to figures obtained through a freedom of information request.The Independent UK: “Figures obtained through a freedom of information request showed the Met spent £1.3 million policing six "Palestine-Israel public order events" across June and July 2026.”
- SupportedDefend Our Juries said its planned action came ahead of a Supreme Court hearing regarding the ban.The Independent UK: “Defend Our Juries noted that its planned action comes ahead of a Supreme Court hearing regarding the ban.”
- SupportedIn June, five Court of Appeal judges found the ban justified and proportionate, reversing the February High Court ruling that the proscription was unlawful.The Independent UK: “In June, five Court of Appeal judges concluded that banning Palestine Action was a "justified and proportionate" restriction on freedom of expression. That decision reversed a High Court ruling from February, in which three judges deemed that the decision by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper to proscribe the organisation was unlawful”