London police arrest 139 people outside U.S. Embassy for supporting banned pro-Palestinian group
London police arrested 139 protesters outside the U.S. Embassy for expressing support for Palestine Action, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.K. and U.S. governments. The demonstration occurred ahead of a Supreme Court appeal regarding the legality of the group's proscription, highlighting ongoing tensions between civil liberties and national security laws.
Why it matters
The event underscores the intensifying legal conflict between state-defined terrorism laws and activist groups employing direct action, raising significant questions about the limits of freedom of speech and assembly in the U.K.
London London police said they arrested 139 people at a protest outside the U.S. Embassy on Saturday (October 31, 2026) in support of the banned group Palestine Action. The majority of those taken into custody had expressed support for a proscribed organisation, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. It said that more arrests are expected as officers remain at the scene. U.K. terrorism ban on Palestine Action group unlawful, court rules after appeal U.K. terrorism ban on Palestine Action group unlawful, court rules after appeal Palestine Action was proscribed in July, having increasingly targeted Israel-linked defence companies – particularly Elbit Systems – in Britain with “direct action”, often blocking entrances or spraying red paint U.K.
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