UK Home Office graph reveals shocking scale of Palestine Action arrests
UK Home Office graph reveals shocking scale of Palestine Action arrests
The UK Home Office has released a chart highlighting a dramatic surge in arrests linked to alleged terrorist activities since the outlawing of the Palestine Action group in July. The data shows over 1,800 individuals detained between January 2025 and September, marking a 660 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Of these arrests, more than 1,600 are directly tied to the ban on Palestine Action, as disclosed in the latest Home Office reports. The High Court recently determined that the government’s prohibition of the protest organization was discriminatory and legally flawed, though it will remain active until a higher court review is completed.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the government’s intent to contest the ruling in the Court of Appeal. Meanwhile, Middle East Eye uncovered that the number of people charged with terrorism offenses in the months following the ban exceeded the total recorded during the entire ‘war on terror’ period, which began in September 2001.
The most recent statistics, published in December, confirm this trend. They indicate 1,886 arrests for terrorism-related offenses from 2025 to September, with 1,630 specifically connected to activities tied to the Palestine Action proscription. Demonstrations against the ban in London and other cities saw many protesters carrying signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
Most of these arrests involved individuals charged under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which criminalizes displaying support for a banned organization. According to the latest data, 237 people faced such charges in the first nine months of 2025. This brings the cumulative total since 11 September 2001 to 271.
Of the Palestine Action-linked arrests, 1,362 were released on bail for further investigation. The proportion of female detainees has also risen significantly, with half of those arrested under the ban being women—a notable shift from earlier years when men dominated the statistics.
Reactions to the High Court Ruling
On Friday, the High Court’s decision was celebrated by advocacy groups and human rights organizations, who supported the removal of the ban and the dismissal of charges against supporters. Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, who led the judicial review, called the ruling a “monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people.” She emphasized that the ban represented “one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history.”
“Thousands of people of conscience saw that branding protest as terrorism was a move straight out of the dictator’s playbook. Together we took action at great personal risk—inspired by each other’s courage. We helped make this proscription unenforceable by saying ‘we do not comply’.”
The campaign group Defend our Juries (DOJ) stated that the arrests of approximately 2,787 individuals would now be classified as unlawful. Additionally, seven others charged under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for participating in Zoom calls aimed at overturning the ban would also face legal scrutiny.
