UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Home Office official warns the Palestine Action ban may wrongly criminalise people, with confusion in Prevent growing as referrals increase across the UK.
As reported by the Guardian, a Home Office homeland security official has warned that the government’s ban on Palestine Action could overwhelm the Prevent programme and lead to people being wrongly criminalised.
What did officials say about the confusion caused by the Palestine Action ban?
The homeland security official warned that proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act is creating confusion among counter-terrorism police and frontline education and healthcare workers.
The official warned that people involved in general Palestine advocacy risk being wrongly labelled extremists, while some Palestine Action supporters may be referred to Prevent despite posing no threat.
A Prevent-affiliated homeland security official, requesting anonymity, as they are not allowed to speak publicly, stated,
“I’m concerned about a surge in referrals to the Prevent system that might have a link to Palestine advocacy in light of the fact that this very high profile group is now proscribed, and the confusion there might be on the frontline in schools and healthcare settings and all the other places that are expected to make Prevent referrals.”
The official added,
“I’ve heard senior counter-terrorism police people say that they are already seeing on the frontline concerns about this come up and I’m aware of testimonies from Prevent leads at local authorities where they are also concerned about the impact of this on their area and confusion about whether certain cases should be referred to Prevent or not.”
A homeland security official said that although the Palestine Action ban only took effect on 5 July, they fear Prevent could be overwhelmed, already under unprecedented pressure after the Southport attacks and rising cases of people obsessed with violence without clear terrorist intent.
They stated,
“We have already seen police officers, let alone frontline Prevent practitioners, mistakenly arrest or interfere with people for supporting Palestine, not supporting Palestine Action.”
The official added,
“There is a risk that what’s now the crime of support for Palestine Action might lead to the Prevent system becoming an unwitting sort of gateway for people to mistakenly be criminalised, especially young people who don’t know the law and they don’t know the consequences of expressing what might sound like – or may actually be – support for a group that, overnight, has become proscribed.”
According to the official, they were concerned that the ban had eroded confidence in essential counter-terrorism operations.
They continued,
“The proscription has damaged trust in the government more widely and Prevent specifically – so potentially eroding Prevent’s effectiveness to tackle the real issues even further.”
What did Prevent reviewer David Anderson say about the Palestine Action ban?
During discussions in the House of Lords on the proposed Palestine Action ban, the independent Prevent reviewer commented, David Anderson KC said it would mean
“anyone who is young and foolish enough to say that its heart is in the right place, or that the government should listen to it, is committing a very serious offence for which they could be prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned as a terrorist.”
How did the Home Office respond to concerns over the Palestine Action ban?
A Home Office spokesperson stated, “We do not comment on anonymous briefings.”
They added,
“Supporting Palestine is not the same as supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. There are many lawful ways to express support for Palestinian rights and sovereignty without being a member of, or associated with, this harmful group.”
How many people were arrested over protests against the Palestine Action ban?
Nearly 425 people were arrested during a Palestine Action protest near the Houses of Parliament in London.
Around 500 arrests (492) were reported at a later London protest, with protesters ranging from 18 to 89 years old.
Police and rights groups indicate that since the ban in July 2025, over 2,000 people have been arrested nationwide for showing support for Palestine Action.
When was the Palestine Action Group created, and what is its purpose?
Palestine Action was created by activists Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard. The group was officially formed on July 30, 2020.
The group states it aims to end global participation in what it describes as “Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.” Its core objective is to dismantle the UK’s links to Israel’s military actions.
The proscribed group uses direct action to disrupt and dismantle the UK arms industry, particularly companies it accuses of supplying Israel.
Its tactics include occupations of buildings, vandalism, and destruction of property, often involving breaking into facilities, spray-painting them with red paint.