AROUND 1,500 people staged a silent sit-down protest in Parliament Square on Saturday (Sept 6), risking arrest under anti-terror laws by holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
The demonstration, described by campaigners as a “day of mass defiance,” was organised by Defend Our Juries in response to the UK government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act. Protesters vowed to remain in the square until they were arrested.
Police have already detained more than 700 people across the UK for displaying the same message, sparking condemnation from Amnesty International, which warned that arrests for sign-holding breach international law.
Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire voices
Among those taking part was Daniel, from Haverfordwest, who travelled up from Pembrokeshire to join the sit-down protest.
Daniel told The Herald: “I came here because I can’t stand by while our government tries to silence people who are speaking out against genocide. If that means I get arrested, so be it. A night in a cell is nothing compared to what families in Gaza are living through. I want my kids to know that when it mattered, I didn’t just look the other way.”
A couple from Carmarthen, who asked not to be named, said they had travelled up on the train the day before to make sure they could join the protest.
They said: “We felt we had to be here. What’s happening in Palestine is horrific, and staying silent is not an option. We don’t care if the police take our names or even arrest us — our conscience is clear. This is about showing solidarity and standing on the right side of history.”
Witness circles and solidarity
The London protest was joined by solidarity groups including Black Lives Matter UK, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, CAGE International, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and the General Federation of Trade Unions. These organisations formed a “witness circle” around the sign-holders, pledging to document what they say are unlawful state actions against peaceful protesters.
In Edinburgh, members of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Committee risked arrest by wearing t-shirts reading: “Genocide in Palestine, Time to Take Action.” In Northern Ireland, campaigners warned the ban on Palestine Action was “a political headache the PSNI doesn’t need.”
Legal and political fallout
The government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action is facing a judicial review in the High Court this November, after legal challenges argued that proscription for causing only criminal damage is unprecedented.
The move has also sparked division within Labour, with critics comparing the controversy to the 1990 Poll Tax rebellion. Defend Our Juries said the ban was fuelling a constitutional crisis, particularly in Scotland where the Crown Office recently dropped charges against protesters.
Campaigners speak out
Anglican priest Rev Sue Parfitt, 83, who has been charged for sign-holding, said: “Clearly we are witnessing a genocide… Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation. Gandhi said non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as cooperation with good.”
Former RAF serviceman Steve Martin said he was “appalled to witness a Labour government actively supporting a rogue apartheid state in its brutal oppression of the Palestinian people.”
And Claudia Penna Rojas, 27, who has already been arrested once and returned to Parliament Square to hold her sign again, said:
“There is a genocide happening. I believe as human beings we have a duty to each other and I cannot live with myself being a bystander.”
Largest arrests since 1961
The Met Police have faced mounting pressure over their handling of the protests. On 9 August, more than 500 people were arrested in Parliament Square — the largest mass arrest in London since the Committee of 100 anti-nuclear sit-in of 1961.
Despite repeated warnings from international legal bodies, the Home Office has stood by the proscription of Palestine Action, which was grouped in a parliamentary order alongside two foreign neo-Nazi organisations. Critics, including former DPP Lord Ken Macdonald, called the move a “cynical ploy” to force MPs to back the ban.
Campaigners say Saturday’s protest was proof that the crackdown is backfiring. A Defend Our Juries spokesperson said:
“State repression has not worked. This is becoming Labour’s Poll Tax moment.”
