Police arrest 82 at Palestine Action protest outside Labour conference

Police arrested 82 people at a rally outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in support of the banned group Palestine Action, according to Merseyside Police. The force said those detained were suspected of wearing or carrying an item supporting a proscribed organisation and were later released on bail.

Among those arrested was Margaret Owen, a 94-year-old Jewish human rights barrister who received an OBE in 2013 for work advancing women’s rights. Owen told Al Jazeera that she had attended about a dozen previous demonstrations carrying a sign saying she opposed genocide and supported Palestine Action, and had written to Metropolitan Police about her actions without being detained.

The rally was organised by Defend Our Juries, which is campaigning for the UK government to reverse its July 2025 proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act. Palestine Action says it seeks to oppose Israeli military actions and British involvement by targeting weapons manufacturers and associated companies, particularly Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.

Separately, activists confronted UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband at a restaurant over the ban, Al Jazeera reported. Other reports said Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja was arrested during a protest connected to the proscription.