Police Arrest Two Pro-Palestine Action Protesters Outside Labour Conference in Liverpool
More than 200 demonstrators gathered outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool to support the banned group Palestine Action, leading to two arrests including an elderly man who was sitting under a tree.
Police arrested two people, including an elderly man, outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool as more than 200 demonstrators gathered in support of the banned group Palestine Action. The protest coincided with the opening of the conference, placing the demonstration directly at the doorstep of the governing party's annual gathering.
The elderly man was reportedly sitting under a tree when officers detained him. The circumstances of the second arrest have not been fully detailed, but both detentions took place amid a large static demonstration that saw hundreds of activists occupy the area outside the conference venue. The protest was organised in solidarity with Palestine Action, an organisation that has been proscribed under UK terrorism legislation, making support for it a criminal offence.
The timing of the demonstration is significant. The Labour Party conference in Liverpool brings together senior government figures, MPs, and party members at a moment when the UK's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict remains a subject of intense public debate. The protest outside the conference highlights the continuing friction between the government's proscription of Palestine Action and the activists who reject that designation.
Merseyside Police have not yet released further details about the charges or the identities of those arrested. The force has previously dealt with similar protests linked to Palestine Action, which has staged numerous high-profile direct actions across the UK, often targeting arms manufacturers and military-linked sites. The group's supporters argue that their actions are a legitimate form of protest against UK complicity in Israeli military operations, while the government and police treat the organisation as a banned entity whose support constitutes a criminal act.
The protest outside the Labour conference is part of a broader pattern of demonstrations that have followed the proscription of Palestine Action earlier this year. Since the ban came into force, activists have continued to organise rallies, sit-ins, and other forms of civil disobedience, testing the boundaries of the new legal restrictions. The arrests in Liverpool are likely to be cited by both sides of the debate: supporters of the ban will point to them as evidence that the law is being enforced, while critics will argue that the detentions of peaceful protesters, including an elderly man, illustrate the heavy-handedness of the measures.
Labour's conference in Liverpool is a key moment in the political calendar, and the presence of a large pro-Palestine demonstration outside the venue ensures that the issue remains visible. The party leadership has faced pressure from its own membership to take a firmer stance on the conflict, and the protest serves as a reminder that the debate is not confined to the conference hall. For the activists, the gathering was an opportunity to show that support for Palestine Action has not been suppressed by the ban.
As the conference continues, further protests are expected. The two arrests are unlikely to deter demonstrators, and the police presence around the venue is likely to remain high. The incident underscores the ongoing tension between the UK's counter-terrorism laws and the right to protest, a tension that shows no sign of easing.
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