Police chief warns Palestine Action supporters at a US Embassy rally they are 'meeting to purposefully commit a crime'

Published 30 October 2026, 14:00

• Commander Adam Slonecki, who leads the Met operation, said organisers and helpers, not just placard holders, will 'very likely' be arrested.
• Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act in June 2025, making any public support a criminal offence.
• Anyone planning to join Saturday's Defend Our Juries protest is urged to 'reconsider', as it pulls officers away from neighbourhoods.

Anyone planning to attend Saturday's Defend Our Juries demonstration near the US Embassy in central London faces arrest, the Metropolitan Police has warned, saying attendees are "essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime."

Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act in June 2025, making any public show of support a criminal offence — a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal in June 2026.

Commander Adam Slonecki, leading the operation, said arrests would extend beyond placard holders: "Anyone officers consider to be playing a key role in organising the event, giving instructions to others and/or providing logistical support will very likely be committing an offence."

Slonecki said the operation was "not about preventing people from expressing their views, but about acting robustly in cases where doing so involves criminality."