Thousands are expected to gather outside the US embassy in London for the 26 October 2026 ‘Lift the ban‘ protest against the Burnham government’s continued ban on anti-genocide protest group Palestine Action (PA). Around 5,000 people have been arrested so far, under the Terrorism Act, for simply holding a sign opposing the ban – which puts PA alongside ISIS and Al Qaeda. But the Met Police has now said that it will arrest not just sign-holders, but anyone who provides them with “logistical support” – even food or a bottle of water, according to the Defend our Juries (DOJ) campaign group.
Met commander Adam Slonecki laid out the authoritarian new policy:
I want to be clear – it is not just those who hold up placards who should expect to be arrested.
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.
Burnham is Starmer v2
A DOJ spokesperson challenged the Met’s “reckless and irresponsible stance:
How can the Met possibly justify arresting people who are not defying the ban themselves, who are simply providing logistical support to the peaceful protesters, many of whom are elderly or disabled and in need of support?
It is also reckless and irresponsible, putting the safety of elderly and disabled people at risk. The moral bankruptcy of the Met is complete.
The London protest, and a parallel demo in Edinburgh, aim to highlight the involvement of far-right US president Donald Trump in the Starmer ban that is now being continued by his replacement Andy Burnham. Trump demanded the ban after PA sprayed anti-genocide messages on Trump’s tacky ‘Trump Turnberry’ golf course.
DOJ said of tomorrow’s protest:
What better time than Halloween to expose the terrifying reality of this authoritarian overreach and its dystopian consequences – from the arrest of thousands of entirely peaceful protesters to one of the world’s most acclaimed authors’ books being effectively banned in the UK?
By targeting the US embassy in London and US consulate in Edinburgh we will further highlight not only the Trumpian nature of this unprecedented attack on free expression in our country, we will also expose what the ban on Palestine Action has always been about, appeasing Trump after Palestine Action spraypainted his golf course and appeasing the Israeli weapons companies which Palestine Action disrupted.
This mass defiance, and the mass arrests expected to follow, will lay bare the fundamental rights to free expression at stake in the Supreme Court hearing just days later. We urge the Supreme Court to consign this shameful chapter of British history to the past by ruling this grossly disproportionate and plainly unsustainable ban unlawful.
Despite claiming he would be a change from Starmer, Burnham then appointed many of the same Israel supporters to his team who had been handling Starmer. Their influence is clear: Burnham is as bad as Starmer in attacking UK rights to protect Israel and in fact appears to be going even further.
Header image by BetterThanReal.
It is not racist to protest against a CULT. Perhaps the Met is worried that it is only a couple of letters from being a protest against them😁