More than 50 arrested at Palestine Action support rally

More than 50 protesters were arrested at a Palestine Action support rally outside Labour's party conference in Liverpool.

A force spokesperson said it respected everyone's rights to protest lawfully while also aiming to keep the peace and ensure public safety.

The arrests were criticised by Amnesty International, which called them a 'shameful attack on freedom of speech'. One of those detained was human rights barrister Margaret Owen, 94.

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: 'We had hoped the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, would do the sensible thing and bin the ban on Palestine Action given the weight of public pressure to do so and the escalating amount of resources required in enforcing it. '

Protesters gathered outside court in July to call for the Palestine Action ban to be lifted. Demonstrators in Liverpool cheered every time someone was carried away by police.

Kerry Moscogiuri, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, said: 'Protesting is one of the most effective tools we have to make our leaders listen to us, but we have seen consecutive governments crack down on our right to do it. The arrests of grandparents, teenagers and everyone in between for holding placards outside the Labour Party conference are a truly shameful attack on freedom of speech.

The new Prime Minister can reform our laws so that communities are protected in coming together and demonstrating on the issues they care about. Will he do so?

In July it was confirmed that Palestine Action's proscription would be reviewed by the Supreme Court. The court said it had given the group's co-founder permission to appeal the ban, which came into force in July 2025.

The Home Office has repeatedly said that the ban of the group has nothing to do with protest in support of Palestinian causes - and was necessary because it was causing significant criminal damage to legitimate businesses. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal have ruled that Palestine Action's activities include criminal acts - although they were divided on whether those incidents justified turning to terrorism laws.

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: 'We had hoped the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, would do the sensible thing and bin the ban on Palestine Action given the weight of public pressure to do so and the escalating amount of resources required in enforcing it