Gloucester is among 18 towns and cities set to see demonstrations next month as campaigners protest against the government’s decision to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
Organisers say as many as 1,500 people could take part nationwide, with events planned in Gloucester, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, London and Edinburgh. The coordinated protests are scheduled to coincide with a High Court judicial review of the ban, beginning on 25 November.
The proscription of Palestine Action on 5 July has led to more than 2,100 arrests, with many accused of showing support for the banned group simply by holding handwritten signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
Campaign group Defend Our Juries claims around 170 people have been charged under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which makes it an offence to display items in a way that could suggest support for a proscribed organisation. The charge carries a maximum six-month sentence.
Dr Clive Dolphin from Defend Our Juries said the prosecutions were placing huge strain on the court system.
“I have seen myself the absolute chaos this is creating within magistrates’ courts,” he said.
Some activists currently in custody for separate direct action at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and defence firm Elbit Systems UK in Bristol are expected to begin rolling hunger strikes on Sunday.
The Home Office banned Palestine Action weeks after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on 20 June, in an incident police estimate caused £7m worth of damage. The group’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, is legally challenging the ban.
The most recent mass protest earlier this month resulted in nearly 500 arrests, following police warnings in the aftermath of the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
The Gloucester protest is planned for Tuesday 18 November 2025.