Police officers arrest a protester during a demonstration in support of Palestine Action, outside the US embassy, in London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
On Sat Oct 31, 139 protesters associated with Palestine Action were arrested outside the US embassy in London. The protests come ahead of a Supreme Court appeal on Nov 4-5 about the classification of the group as a terrorist organization. Many protesters held signs saying “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. The protests were non-violent, but because of Palestine Actions classification as a terrorist organization, merely being a member of the group is a criminal offense. This is the first protest of the group since Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office in July.
Palestine Action, which was founded in 2020, is “committed to ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime” and describes itself as a “direct action group” that uses “disruptive tactics.” They are particularly interested in attacking the military and corporate support for Israel.
To that end the group has taken direct action against defense companies over the years. In 2022, members of Palestine Action broke into the Thales equipment factory, a French aerospace and defense company in Glasgow, and caused over 1 million pounds ($1.4m) in damages. In June 2025, members broke into a Royal Air Force base and attacked two refueling planes with crowbars and spraypainted the planes. This resulted in the designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act of 2000. Since then over 4,000 people have been arrested for association with the group, which carries a 14 year criminal sentence. This represents almost one third of all terrorism arrests in the UK since 9/11.
Sally Rooney's books are displayed for sale at a bookshop in London, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Earlier this month, Sally Rooney, one of the most popular contemporary authors, announced that her publisher, Faber, will no longer be able to sell her books in the UK because of her outspoken public and financial support for Palestine Action. Rooney has previously stated that she plans to use the royalties she earns from her book sales to support the organization. This raises further concerns about freedom of speech in the UK. She said in September 2025 that she could no longer enter the UK without risking arrest because of her association with the organization. Book stores in the UK are expected to be impacted significantly, as Sally Rooney’s books are incredibly popular selling 2.3 million books in the UK and 6 million globally. Lucy Burke, a bookseller at London’s Camden Town Bookshop, was quoted in AP News saying that they were planning to “get a whole bunch [of Sally Rooney’s books] before we stop being able to…because she’s a hugely popular seller here, and quite evergreen.”
The UK Government’s decision to ban the organization and designate it as a terrorist group has come under fire by multiple human rights organizations. Amnesty International UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said that the UK has an “overly broad” definition of terrorism and that the use of this law “...against a direct-action protest group is an egregious abuse of what they were created for.” Manaal Siddiqui, a representative for Palestine Action, told Al Jazeera that “The majority of the proscribed groups are international. The majority of them take actions in very, very different ways.” They argue that Palestine Action stands out amongst the organizations listed under the Terrorist Act.
The Nov. 4-5 Supreme Court Appeal by Palestine Action argued that the ban on the group limits freedom of speech and freedom to protest. The lawyer representing Palestine Action argued in the hearing that “Palestine Action never advocated for violence against the person,” and compared their actions to that of the suffragettes. During the hearing, Palestine Action members protested outside the courthouse. The Supreme Court’s decision is not expected for several months.