British authorities have arrested several individuals, including a 68-year-old grandmother, an 18-year-old student, and a 49-year-old doctor, over their support for the recently banned group, Palestine Action.
Among those detained is Marji Mansfield, a grandmother of seven and former banking consultant from Chichester. She was arrested on July 5 after participating in a demonstration backing Palestine Action, which the UK government added to its list of proscribed organisations in early July following an incident at an air force base where activists caused damage to military aircraft.
Mansfield said, “It’s a terrible shock to be accused of potentially being a terrorist.” She described herself as having lived an ordinary life, adding, “I just worked hard, raised my family, lived an ordinary life.”
The move to proscribe the group under the UK Terrorism Act has triggered widespread criticism. The United Nations rights chief called the decision “disproportionate,” while the activist group Defend Our Juries has since been organising protests in defiance of the ban. According to Tim Crosland of the group, over 200 people have been arrested, facing potential sentences of up to 14 years in prison.
A larger protest is expected to be held in London on August 9, with police issuing warnings that all attendees may face arrest.
Interior Minister Yvette Cooper defended the government’s decision, saying, “People don’t know what the nature of this group is. This is not a non-violent group.” The ban cites the group’s increasing use of aggressive tactics and damage amounting to millions of pounds.
However, Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori has launched a legal challenge against the ban, with a court hearing scheduled for November. In support, 52 scholars — including Tariq Ali and Naomi Klein — signed an open letter published in The Guardian, condemning the move as an assault on the “fundamental freedoms of expression, association, assembly and protest.”
For Mansfield, the escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel — which resulted in over 1,200 deaths — was a turning point. “When it started happening again … it was the most horrible feeling, that children’s homes were being blown up, that their schools were being destroyed,” she said.
Israel’s military response in Gaza has reportedly killed over 60,000 people, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.
Mansfield explained that the ban on Palestine Action solidified her resolve. “It was just ordinary people,” she recalled of the protest. “We came from all backgrounds … we’re not terrorists.” Images from the event show her being carried away by police officers after refusing to leave the pavement. She was detained for 12 hours and is now banned from parts of London, limiting her ability to visit museums with her grandchildren.
Dr. Alice Clark, a 49-year-old obstetrician and former volunteer for Doctors Without Borders, was also arrested at a protest on July 19. She emphasised her moral obligation, saying, “Nobody wants to be arrested. I just feel that there’s a responsibility.” She expressed concern over the government’s actions, noting they were “undermining our civil liberties.”
Clark said she was deeply affected by scenes of suffering in Gaza: “There were points where I was close to tears. But I think just remembering why I was doing it kind of helped me keep calm.” If convicted, she may face losing her medical license.
Zahra Ali, an 18-year-old first-year history student, was also arrested during the same protest. Though released under supervision, she was shaken by the experience. “The starvation in Gaza, it’s disgusting. And our government isn’t doing anything about that,” she told AFP. Still, she remains undeterred, adding, “If people who are in their 80s can do it, then I can do it.” She does not consider herself an activist but rather “a normal person … who decided that what our government is doing is wrong.”
The three women — Mansfield, Clark, and Ali — have not been formally charged as of the time of this report.
