Police hunt Palestine Action supporters after Edinburgh protest as 48 arrested in London
Police Scotland is reviewing evidence of people wearing T-shirts and holding banners backing the banned group, while 48 people were arrested at a similar demonstration in London.
Calton Hill, near the US consulate in Edinburgh. File photo. · Photograph: Tilman2007 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Police Scotland is working to identify people who wore T-shirts and held banners supporting Palestine Action at a protest outside the US consulate near Holyrood on Saturday.
No arrests were made at the Edinburgh demonstration. But a Police Scotland spokesperson said inquiries were ongoing to identify people seen showing support for a proscribed organisation, and that evidence was being reviewed with further action to be taken as appropriate.
48 arrests in London
At a similar protest outside the US embassy in Nine Elms, south-west London, more than 100 people took part, many holding signs reading "I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action". The Metropolitan Police said it had arrested 48 people by about 4pm, most for expressing support for a proscribed organisation, with more arrests expected.
Before the protests, the Met had warned that people could be arrested even if they did not hold a placard, including anyone thought to be organising or giving logistical support.
Why is it illegal?
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in June 2025. Expressing support for it is an offence under the Terrorism Act.
Supreme Court next week
The protests, organised by Defend Our Juries, came days before the Supreme Court hears an appeal against the ban on 4 November.
In February, the High Court ruled the original decision to ban the group was unlawful, after a challenge by co-founder Huda Ammori. But in June, five Court of Appeal judges overturned that ruling, finding the ban a justified and proportionate interference with freedom of expression.