Protests25 September, 20262 min read
Ed Miliband Confronted by Palestine Action Activists as Police Arrest More Than 50 in Liverpool
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More than 50 Palestine Action supporters arrested outside the Labour conference in Liverpool. Ed Miliband was confronted by activists in Liverpool over Palestine Action's ban.
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Liverpool arrests and confrontation
Ed Miliband was confronted by activists at a Pizza Express restaurant in Liverpool over the proscription of Palestine Action, as more than 50 demonstrators were arrested while protesting in support of the group outside a Labour Party conference.
Merseyside Police reported more than 50 arrests as of Sunday evening, and officers detained people suspected of carrying material supporting a proscribed organization.
Around 200 protesters held signs reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,” during a sit-in outside the venue of the Labour Party’s annual conference.
An activist told Miliband, “We would like you to deproscribe Palestine Action. We’d like you to declare genocide in Gaza,” as police arrested demonstrators nearby.
Police warnings and rights
Merseyside Police warned protesters they were illegally holding signs supporting a proscribed organisation before officers moved in to start making arrests outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Amnesty International criticized the arrests as a “shameful attack on freedom of speech,” and Kerry Moscogiuri said, “Protesting is one of the most effective tools we have to make our leaders listen to us.”
Defend Our Juries spokesperson said, “We had hoped the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, would do the sensible thing and bin the ban on Palestine Action,” while Amnesty said the arrests targeted “grandparents, teenagers and everyone in between.” A Home Office spokesperson said, “The proscription of Palestine Action followed a rigorous and evidence-based decision-making process, endorsed by Parliament,” and the spokesperson added that the proscription did not affect lawful protest in support of the Palestinian cause.
Del Naja and the ban
Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja was arrested under the UK Terrorism Act in Liverpool on Saturday after he held a sign reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,” outside the Labour Party conference venue.
Del Naja told officers, “I don’t recognize the offense, though, because under UK law it is actually an offense to aid and abet any private individual or company aiding and abetting genocidal war crimes.”
Defend Our Juries organized the demonstration as part of its Lift the Ban campaign, and the group demanded that the UK remove Palestine Action from its list of banned organizations.
The UK banned Palestine Action in July 2025, and the designation made being a member of the group or showing support for the organization a criminal offense with fines and prison sentences of up to 14 years.