A coalition of civil liberties campaigners is preparing a coordinated act of mass civil disobedience across two UK cities, with participants voluntarily risking arrest under counter-terrorism legislation in a direct challenge to the official proscription of activist group Palestine Action. Organised by the campaign collective Defend Our Juries (DOJ), the dual-site protest is scheduled for 31 October, just days before the UK Supreme Court is set to hear a landmark appeal examining the legality of the government’s ban on the pro-Palestinian direct action network.
DOJ will formally unveil the plans outside the London US Embassy this coming Friday, with more than 400 pre-registered volunteers committed to publicly displaying signs emblazoned with the message “I oppose genocide- I support Palestine Action” at the London demonstration. A parallel solidarity action will unfold simultaneously outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, extending the act of defiance beyond the UK’s capital. Every participant taking part in the public display of support is knowingly exposing themselves to potential prosecution under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, a provision that criminalises explicit expressions of backing for organisations formally listed as proscribed terrorist groups, carrying maximum sentences of up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
The high-profile protest is timed to precede a two-day Supreme Court hearing scheduled for 4 and 5 November, where senior justices will review a lower Court of Appeal ruling from earlier in 2025 that upheld the government’s decision to classify Palestine Action as a banned organisation. A DOJ spokesperson stated the coordinated action is designed to “lay bare the fundamental rights to free expression” at the core of the ongoing legal battle, drawing a parallel to the recent widely publicised removal of author Sally Rooney’s works from UK retail outlets, a move linked to commercial backlash over her public stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The proscription of Palestine Action was formally enacted in July 2025 under the administration of then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer, marking a highly contested expansion of the UK’s counter-terrorism powers to target a grassroots protest group. DOJ’s latest available data estimates that in the months since the ban came into force, approximately 3,850 people have been arrested across the country on suspicion of showing support for the organisation, resulting in no fewer than 2,250 formal charges being filed.
Campaign organisers explained the decision to stage the demonstrations at US diplomatic sites stems from growing concerns over the influence of former US President Donald Trump on the UK government’s decision to proscribe the group. The controversy traces back to a 2024 incident in which Palestine Action activists carried out a spray-paint vandalism action at Trump’s luxury Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Documents uncovered during a November 2024 judicial review of the proscription process confirmed that Starmer held two separate phone calls with Trump on 10 March and 30 March 2025, in the immediate aftermath of the golf course incident. Shortly after those conversations, Trump posted a statement on his Truth Social platform branding the Palestine Action activists “terrorists” who had caused “serious damage”, language that directly mirrored wording embedded in the UK’s 2000 Terrorism Act, and added that he hoped the individuals responsible would “hopefully be treated harshly” under British law.
Public backlash against the controversial ban has intensified steadily in recent weeks, with mounting cross-society pressure on current UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to formally reverse the proscription order. Dissent has even emerged from within Burnham’s own Labour Party ranks, with prominent senior peer and human rights advocate Shami Chakrabarti publicly condemning the policy. Speaking during an interview on LBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Chakrabarti argued the move was “making a mockery” of the UK’s carefully calibrated counter-terrorism legal framework, noting that evolving public and political circumstances now compel the Home Secretary to conduct an urgent formal review of the classification. She emphasised that the statutory power to proscribe civil society organisations “should be an exceptional power, used with great care, and should be constantly under review” to avoid eroding core civil liberties.