October 04, 2025
JamRadio Newsdesk | Social Affairs
Six people have been arrested on Westminster Bridge after unfurling a banner in support of Palestine Action, the recently proscribed group now classified as a terrorist organization under UK law. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests just hours before a planned nationwide protest calling for the ban to be lifted.
A group of six people unfurled a banner in support of Palestine Action on Westminster Bridge.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 4, 2025
Officers were quickly on scene, the banner had been removed and the six people involved have been arrested for supporting a proscribed organisation. pic.twitter.com/NQOz3GEvsk
Labour leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood have both publicly condemned the protest, with Mahmood stating she “doesn’t have the power” to stop it but believes it should not go ahead in light of Thursday’s deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue. Starmer, who oversaw the proscription of Palestine Action, has remained firm in his stance, despite growing backlash from civil liberties groups and anti-genocide campaigners.
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Critics argue the arrests mark a dangerous escalation in the criminalization of dissent. The protest—framed by organizers as a peaceful act of solidarity with Gaza—has now become a flashpoint in Britain’s debate over protest rights, state repression, and the weaponization of terrorism laws.
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, called the arrests “a chilling reminder of how quickly protest can be reframed as criminality when the state feels threatened.”
JamRadio will be tracking the protest, the arrests, and the political fallout in real time. As calls grow to defend the right to oppose genocide, the question remains: who gets to define terrorism—and who gets silenced in the process?
