Key facts
- Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
- Protesters risked arrest for expressing support for Palestine Action.
- Palestine Action was proscribed by the government in July 2025.
- The protest was organized by Defend Our Juries.
- Around 150 arrests were made during the demonstration.
- The protest occurred on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Sunday, September 27, 2026, to protest the government's ban on the direct action group Palestine Action. Many of the demonstrators, including a 94-year-old human rights barrister, risked arrest for civil disobedience, holding up placards expressing opposition to genocide and support for the banned group.
The protest was organized by Defend Our Juries, which has called for the ban to be lifted, citing its illogical, unsustainable, and immoral nature. Protesters expressed anger at the government's stance, with some, like Carolyn Gelenter, a daughter of a Holocaust survivor, emphasizing the distinction between opposing Zionism and Judaism. Others, like 25-year-old Joe, stated that the government is complicit in genocide and that ordinary people must take a stand.
Palestine Action was proscribed by the government in July 2025, making any expression of support or membership a criminal offense. The demonstration saw protesters writing slogans on placards, some in foreign languages, before sitting down to hold them up. The arrests, described as slow and methodical by local police, began around 1 p.m. and continued for hours, with Defend Our Juries reporting approximately 150 arrests by the time police left the scene at 5 a.m. on Monday after a 16-hour standoff. Some protesters were escorted away by officers, while others had to be carried, with journalists and photographers documenting the events.