On October 31 local time, the largest protest rally in support of Palestine took place in the UK since Benner's tenure as prime minister. The event was organized to protest the British government's decision to classify the Palestinian organization ‘Palestine Action’ as a terrorist organization, resulting in the arrest of 139 people.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, hundreds of people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in London, holding banners that read, "I oppose genocide, I support Palestinian actions." Demonstrators also held a vigil outside the U.S. Consulate in Edinburgh in support of the organization.
Before this rally in London began, the London police issued a warning to the participants, stating that during this security operation, participants could face arrest. Anyone who “organizes the event, gives instructions to others, or provides logistical support” may be suspected of violating the law.
London police issued a statement on the X platform that day: "Currently, 139 people have been arrested, and officers are still at the scene, continuing with the arrest operation."
The person in charge of this security operation, Adam Slonczyk, said: “Everyone who intends to participate in this event knows that supporting banned organizations is illegal. Essentially, they are gathering together to commit crimes intentionally.”
The organization that initiated the demonstration, “Defending Our Jury”, stated that approximately 400 people participated in the rally, and the police were “fearful that this event might embarrass the United States”.
This organization states that since "Palestian Action" has been designated as a banned organization, over 4,000 people have been arrested for supporting it, accounting for the majority of terrorism-related arrests since July last year.
79-year-old retired individual, Hsu Moo Hoel, was one of the protesters outside the US embassy holding a banner that read "Support Palestinian Action". She said: “The United States has a hand in most current conflicts. World leaders, including Trump, need to know that the people strongly oppose what is happening in Gaza."
Mohol believes Bernard might still revoke this ban: "It's still too early to say anything. I still have hope, even though it's slim. I think he might wait until after the US midterm elections. It's quite painful that those who try to prevent genocide are arrested."
She has been arrested five or six times in similar protests before. Regarding being taken back by the police car again, she is calm about it. “This is a matter of principle, and I have a firm stance on this issue.”
Seventy-two-year-old Rev. Bill Whitter, a pastor in the UK, said: "The UK is exacerbating the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. This has shocked me to my core. The weapons we provide are being used against Palestinians."
He originally had high hopes for Bernam, but after the Palestinian operations were classified as terrorist activities, he withdrew from the Labour Party.
As a religious person, he said he had no choice but to participate in the protests. “This is the right thing to do. This law itself is a bad law, and it is wrong to try to convict those who are trying to prevent genocide. How can I not be there?”
"Defending our judicial panel" a spokesperson stated: "The London police's aggressive handling of the situation outside the US embassy today exposes the British authorities' willingness to compromise and bow down to American interests. Without American acquiescence, the war crimes committed by Israel against thousands resulted in casualties would be impossible."
During this protest, an appeal against the classification of the 'Palestinian Movement' as a terrorist organization will be heard in the British Supreme Court on November 4th local time.
In February of this year, the High Court of Justice in the UK ruled that the government’s ban on “Palestine Action” was “illegal”. The court found that most of the organization’s activities did not reach the level, scale, or persistence that would be defined as terrorism. Subsequently, British Home Secretary Sheeba Maher still insisted on supporting the ban on the organization, and she was allowed to appeal against the ruling.
