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Palestine Action was proscribed in July after a group of protesters vandalised planes at RAF Brize Norton
Bryony GoochSunday 23 November 2025 13:49 GMTComments
ClosePalestine Action protest sees at least 90 arrested
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The Palestine Action proscription could overwhelm the anti-terrorism Prevent program and lead to people being wrongly criminalised, a Home Office official has reportedly warned.
Members of counter-terrorism police, and officials in schools and hospitals were already experiencing confusion following the proscription of the direct action group according to The Guardian.
The government made it a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act to be a member of or show support for Palestine Action on 5 July after a group of protesters broke into RAF Brize Norton and spray-painted two RAF Voyager planes. The move to proscribe the group has sparked controversy and a legal challenge will be heard next week against the decision
A member of the Home Office’s homeland security group expressed concern to the newspaper that even those who were involved in Palestine advocacy, but not supportive of the proscribed group, were being wrongly labelled as extremist and those being referred to Prevent for supporting Palestine Action didn’t always pose a threat.
open image in galleryCampaigners at the Defend Our Juries protest in support of Palestine Action at The Peace Garden, Tavistock Square, central London (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)Metropolitan Police confirmed at least 90 people were detained while protesting government actions banning activist group Palestine Action, on Saturday. Many gathered at the Peace Garden in Tavistock Square, central London, holding placards that read: "I oppose genocide" and "Support Palestine Action."
Elderly individuals were among those detained by officers, receiving applause from onlookers in support, as they were led away.
The homeland security official, who works closely with Prevent, and spoke anonymously to The Guardian, said: “We have already seen police officers, let alone frontline Prevent practitioners, mistakenly arrest or interfere with people for supporting Palestine, not supporting Palestine Action.
“There is a risk that what’s now the crime of support for Palestine Action might lead to the Prevent system becoming an unwitting sort of gateway for people to mistakenly be criminalised, especially young people who don’t know the law and they don’t know the consequences of expressing what might sound like – or may actually be – support for a group that, overnight, has become proscribed.”
The Prevent programme requires authorities among the education, health and local sectors to report concerns about people who are vulnerable to radicalisation. Already figures published earlier this months showed that referrals to the anti-terrorism programme were the highest since records began.
“I’m concerned about a surge in referrals to the Prevent system that might have a link to Palestine advocacy in light of the fact that this very high profile group is now proscribed, and the confusion there might be on the frontline in schools and healthcare settings and all the other places that are expected to make Prevent referrals,” the official added.
open image in galleryMany protesters sat in silence holding signs that read ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’ in Tavistock Square Gardens (Lucy North/PA) (PA Wire)While the Home Office official said it was early days to see the true impact of Palestine Action’s proscription, they feared Prevent could be “overwhelmed” when it was already under “unprecedented” pressure following the Southport attacks.
A further 120 people were notified of charges against them on Thursday for showing support towards Palestine Action, bringing the total number of charges for this offence in London to 254 since July this year. Counter Terrorism Policing London is continuing to investigate those arrested for showing support towards the proscribed group.
The government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was condemned by the UN Human Rights Chief as misusing “the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries, to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law” back in July.
Volker Türk warned: “UK domestic counter-terrorism legislation defines terrorist acts broadly to include ‘serious damage to property’. But, according to international standards, terrorist acts should be confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages, for purpose of intimidating a population or to compel a government to take a certain action or not.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We do not comment on anonymous briefings.
“Supporting Palestine is not the same as supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. There are many lawful ways to express support for Palestinian rights and sovereignty without being a member of, or associated with, this harmful group.”
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