UK sees 660% surge in terror arrests following Palestine Action ban

LONDON

Arrests for terrorism-related offenses in the UK have risen more than sixfold over the past year, driven largely by the banning of the protest group Palestine Action, according to official figures.

The data show that 1,886 people were arrested for terrorism-related activity in the year to the end of Sept. 2025, compared with 248 in the previous year—an increase of about 660%.

Of those arrested, 1,630, or 86%, were linked to Palestine Action, which was added to the UK’s list of banned terrorist organizations in July.

The group’s co-founder, Huda Ammori, is taking legal action against the Home Office over the decision.

Under the ban, membership of or support for Palestine Action is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Wearing clothing or carrying signs displaying the group’s name can result in a maximum sentence of six months.

The figures show that 1,706 arrests took place in the three months from July to Sept. 2025, when the ban came into force.

This represents a 2,608% increase compared with the previous quarter, April to June, when 63 terrorism-related arrests were recorded.

In that most recent quarter, 1,630 arrests were linked to supporting Palestine Action.

Across the whole year, the remaining 256 terrorism-related arrests not connected to the group represented a 3% increase on the previous year. Of these, 76 occurred between July and September, a 21% increase on the preceding quarter.

There was also a record number of arrests involving children.

A total of 53 people aged 17 and under were arrested during the year, accounting for around 20% of the 256 non-Palestine Action arrests. Only one minor arrest was linked to the banned group.

According to the data, 319 arrests, or 17% of the total, resulted in a charge. This included 243 cases linked to Palestine Action, compared with 47% of terrorism-related arrests leading to charges in the previous year.

The figures show a marked demographic shift, with those arrested in connection with Palestine Action 4.4 times more likely to be female and with an average age of 57, compared with an average age of 30 for other terrorism arrests.

The data do not include the final three months of the year, which saw further protests and mass arrests.

In November, a landmark review of Britain’s counter-terrorism framework warned that laws used to ban the protest group Palestine Action are being applied too widely and that the government’s flagship anti-radicalization program is “not fit for purpose.”

The Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice—a three-year inquiry led by former judge Sir Declan Morgan KC PC and 14 commissioners—found that the country’s definition of terrorism risks “uncertainty and overreach in its application.”