Britain is “losing the plot” and is on course to becoming a “dictatorship” over its treatment of pro-Palestine protesters, the country has been warned, as the Labour government comes under mounting criticism over authoritarian policies used to crack down on critics of the apartheid state of Israel.
Police arrested veteran environmental campaigner Sir Jonathon Porritt outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London yesterday after he publicly declared his support for Palestine Action, which the British government proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025.
The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested 117 people during the demonstration, most of them for allegedly expressing support for a proscribed organisation. Many of those detained were elderly, including an 87-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair.
Porritt, 76, is one of Britain’s most prominent environmentalists. He served as director of Friends of the Earth between 1984 and 1990, co-chaired the Green Party and led the government’s Sustainable Development Commission for nine years.
Porritt also co-founded the sustainability organisation Forum for the Future, served as chancellor of Keele University from 2012 to 2022 and advised King Charles III on environmental issues for more than 30 years. Porritt received a CBE in 2000 for services to environmental protection.
Defend Our Juries organised the protest under the banner “Graduation Day”, with hundreds gathering outside the court to oppose the government’s ban on Palestine Action and its use of terrorism legislation against Palestine solidarity campaigners.
The protest coincided with a scheduled review hearing involving the prosecution of 1,579 people accused of displaying signs in support of Palestine Action during previous mass demonstrations.
READ: 72 arrested at London protest supporting Palestine Action activists
Around 200 participants reportedly prepared to take turns standing on a small stage and declaring: “I support Palestine Action and I encourage everyone to do the same. Saving lives is not terrorism.”
Participants wore red in reference to the clothing used by Palestine Action campaigners during direct actions against weapons factories linked to Israel’s military assault on Palestinians.
NEW: Sir Jonathon Porritt, arrested under Terrorism law outside Westminster Magistrates Court.
As police escorted him away he said “I am a supporter of Palestine Action, trying to save lives is not terrorism, exposing this Governments complicity in genocide is not terrorism.” pic.twitter.com/8uq3qXAOEg
— Defend Our Juries (@DefendOurJuries) July 30, 2026
Police detained Porritt as he participated in the demonstration. While officers escorted him away, he declared: “I am a supporter of Palestine Action. Trying to save lives is not terrorism. Exposing this government’s complicity in genocide is not terrorism.”
Civil liberties campaigners have condemned the government’s decision to treat expressions of solidarity with Palestine Action as terrorism, warning that it has blurred the distinction between violent political activity and peaceful dissent.
More than 3,500 people have reportedly been arrested for alleged support of Palestine Action since the ban took effect. Many cases remain on hold while the courts determine whether the proscription unlawfully interferes with freedom of expression and assembly.
Reaction to Porritt’s arrest extended beyond the Palestine solidarity movement. Veteran British journalist Andrew Neil, who stressed that he disagreed with Porritt on most political issues and particularly on Palestine Action, condemned the use of terrorism legislation against him.
“We’re losing the plot when it comes to free speech,” Neil wrote on X… for him to be arrested for no more than expressing an opinion? That way lies madness and dictatorship. Free Jonathan Porritt!!!
We’re losing the plot when it comes to free speech. There are few issues on which Jonathan and I agree, especially on Palestine Action. That’s irrelevant. But for him to be arrested for no more than expressing an opinion? That way lies madness and dictatorship. Free Jonathan… https://t.co/DPZv619Uov
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) July 30, 2026
READ: Police arrest RAF veteran protesting genocide as UK prepares state visit for Israeli war criminal
