Police arrest 139 people at a London protest outside the US embassy against the ban on Palestine Action
The Metropolitan Police arrested 139 people at a protest outside the US embassy in London in support of Palestine Action, which is banned as a terrorist organisation. Organisers say arrests for defying the ban now exceed 4,000. A Supreme Court appeal against the ban is due to be heard on Wednesday and Thursday.
Left 2 · Centre-left 8 · Centre 3 · Centre-right 4 · Right 5
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Arrests and civil liberties: 'Police Threaten to Arrest Anyone Helping Protesters at Palestine Action Demo' (Novara Media); 'Margaret Owen, 94, arrested again during Palestine Action ban protest' (Middle East Eye).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Police arrest 139 during Palestine Action protest” (Sky News); “UK police arrest Palestine Action supporters ahead of Supreme Court hearing” (France 24).
Right-leaning outlets
Defiance of a terror ban: 'Hundreds defy Palestine Action ban as 139 arrested for supporting terrorist organisation' (GB News); 'Dozens of Palestine Action protesters arrested outside US embassy' (The Telegraph).
Context
The wider geopolitical and historical background, in our words, each point linked to the source it comes from. Background, not a verdict on today's story. How we write it.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK in 2025.
- Under the Terrorism Act 2000, showing support for a proscribed group is a criminal offence. Terrorism Act 2000 Palestine Action
- The UK Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil cases in the UK. Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Checked 2026-11-01. Links were opened and returned a page that day.
Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
Centre 3
- The Scotsman
Demonstrators hold vigil outside US consulate in Edinburgh in support of Palestine Action - France 24
UK police arrest Palestine Action supporters ahead of Supreme Court hearing (paywalled or blocks bots) - Sky News
Police arrest 139 during Palestine Action protest (paywalled or blocks bots)
Showing 3 from each side of 22 rated outlets (L 10 / C 3 / R 9). More coverage
Video
News reports from outlets with a bias rating, balanced like the articles: the same number from the left, the centre and the right. A side with no matching video is named, never padded. Every video was checked to exist on YouTube on the day; titles are the publishers' own. Links open YouTube; nothing from YouTube loads on this page. How we pick.
Left 1
Centre 0
No centre-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Right 0
No right-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Showing 1 from each side that has one; none found from the centre or right.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
Deep dive
The two opposites side by side, seeking to understand rather than judge. These are possible readings of the coverage, built from the articles linked on this page; they are not claims about anyone's motives. How we write it.
Seen from the left
“London police arrest 139 as hundreds protest Palestine Action ban” Al Jazeera
A possible reading: arresting peaceful sign-holders under terrorism law threatens free speech.
May be protecting: free speech and the right to protest.
Seen from the right
“Dozens arrested outside US Embassy in London for supporting proscribed pro-Palestinian group” Breitbart
A possible reading: a lawful ban must be enforced until the courts say otherwise.
May be protecting: the rule of law and the authority of a proscription order.
What they agree on
The Met arrested 139 people at a protest outside the US embassy in London against the ban on Palestine Action; organisers Defend Our Juries say UK arrests under the Terrorism Act for defying the ban now exceed 4,000. A Supreme Court appeal against the ban is due this week. Both sides say the courts should settle whether the ban is lawful.
Where they truly differ
Whether holding a sign of support is a terrorism offence or protected protest.
The paradox
Most of those arrested are peaceful, often elderly, protesters, under a law aimed at terrorism.
Open questions
- What will the Supreme Court decide?
- How many of those arrested will be charged?
- Shared question: how should the law treat support for a banned group when no violence is involved?
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (22 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Morning Star | Left | The Morning Star is owned by the People’s Press Printing Society, a cooperative that readers can join. Revenue is derived through subscription fees, advertising, print sales, and donations. source |
| Novara Media | Left | Thousand Hands Ltd, a not-for-profit company, owns and publishes Novara Media. Donations, sales of merchandise, and tickets for events generate revenue. Novara Media disclaims that they have received funding from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, a transnational alternative policy lobby group and educational institution centered in Germany and affiliated with the democratic socialist Left Party. source |
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| Associated Press | Centre-left | The Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit news cooperative with a profit of $1.6 million in 2016. It also sells content to other media organizations. According to an article titled “ AP reports loss on one-time accounting charges,” t he Associated Press lost $74 million in 2017, and it states the reason as “mostly due to one-time accounting charges related to the federal tax overhaul passed late last year.” source |
| Middle East Eye | Centre-left | The Middle East Eye lacks transparency as it does not easily provide ownership information. The website requires that you find ownership information on their Terms and Conditions page, which indicates M.E.E Ltd is the owner. The website also does not indicate that Jamal Bessasso is the owner of M.E.E Ltd. source |
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| The National (Scotland) | Centre-left | The National is operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd., a UK-based local media publisher. Newsquest is a wholly owned subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc., the media company formerly known as Gannett Company, which also controls AZthe USA TODAY Network of national and local news outlets in the United States and regional titles in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales source |
| Times of Israel | Centre-left | The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source |
| Washington Post | Centre-left | In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source |
| France 24 | Centre | France 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source |
| Sky News | Centre | Sky News is owned by Comcast as of November 2018 and is funded through advertising. Rupert Murdoch is no longer affiliated with Sky News UK; however, Newscorp still has a share of Sky News Australia, which reports with a right-leaning bias. source |
| The Scotsman | Centre | JPIMedia owns the Scotsman. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue..push({}); source |
| CBS News | Centre-right | CBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which was formerly controlled by National Amusements, Inc., the holding company of the Redstone family. In 2025, Paramount entered into a merger agreement with Skydance Media, effectively ending the Redstones’ majority control. CBS News generates revenue primarily through advertising and affiliate broadcasting fees..push({}); source |
| Evening Standard | Centre-right | The newspaper is majority-owned by Russian businessman and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and the Daily Mail and General Trust. Revenue is generated through advertising. source |
| ITV News | Centre-right | No ownership data found |
| Jerusalem Post | Centre-right | In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source |
| Breitbart | Right | After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source |
| Daily Express | Right | The Daily Express is owned by Reach plc (formerly known as Trinity Mirror), a British newspaper, magazine, and digital publisher. Subscriptions, newsstand sales, and advertising generate revenue. source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| GB News | Right | GB News lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership. A search reveals that London-based ALL Perspectives Ltd owns GB News. According to Reuters, the television channel “secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery Inc, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |
Social pulse
This is a signal of what people are discussing, not evidence of what happened. We don't rate the bias of social media posts.
X: 1,486 posts matching “"Palestine Action" -is:retweet”
AI-generated summary of X posts, written by X. Not verified fact.
Police Arrest 139 at London Protest Over Banned Group
On October 31, British police arrested 139 people during a protest in central London against the ban on Palestine Action, a group proscribed under terrorism laws in June 2025. Under a Section 35 dispersal order, officers targeted supporters holding signs like 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,' including elderly protesters and those with blank placards. Organizers from Defend Our Juries reported over 400 attendees, bringing total arrests under the ban to more than 4,000, amid criticism of the measures as excessive and a threat to free speech. Police justified the action due to the group's link to past property damage, with a Supreme Court appeal set soon after.
Updated 1 Nov 07:02 UK time · View on X