Civil Society Organisations Launch “Witness Bloc” Following Crackdown on Defend Our Juries Spokespeople

LONDON, 4 September 2025 – A coalition of major civil society organisations, including Black Lives Matter UK, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, CAGE International and International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network - UK, today announced the formation of a “Witness Bloc” [1] for the Defend Our Juries “Lift the Ban” protest this Saturday, 6th September.

The move is an urgent response to a significant escalation in state repression. On Tuesday morning, in England and Scotland, counter-terrorism police raided the homes of seven key Defend Our Juries spokespeople, arresting them under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 [2]. On Wednesday 3rd September, all seven have now been charged with terrorism offences. Campaigners say police action directly targeted the leadership of the movement just hours before a planned press conference. [3] 

This initiative follows the Metropolitan Police's announcement that 114 people have now been charged under terrorism legislation, with ages ranging from 21 to 83 [2]. These charges are part of a wider crackdown that has seen over 700 people arrested since the proscription of Palestine Action on 5th July.

The "Lift the Ban Witness Bloc" representing over 500,000 members and supporters, state that they will be acting as witnesses to the policing of Saturday’s demonstration which they describe as a "disturbingly authoritarian" use of counter-terrorism powers to suppress fundamental democratic freedoms and silence opposition to the UK government’s complicity in genocide.

Kojo Kyerewaa, National Organiser at Black Lives Matter UK said:
    
“The Met’s own figures show the scale of this disturbingly authoritarian crackdown. Over 700 arrests for a simple phrase on a placard is not policing; it is blunt political repression. We are compelled to join this Witness Bloc because Yvette Cooper cannot be allowed to use terrorism laws to silence dissent against a live-streamed genocide. Lift the ban.”

Anas Mustapha, Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International, said:
    
“For over two decades, an infrastructure of laws has been built that has eroded our freedoms by marginalising Muslims. Today, that legal architecture is central to silencing our voices and crushing resistance against the live-streamed genocide in Gaza. The mass defiance of proscription powers in this show of civil disobedience is urgently necessary to unravel all the draconian counter-terrorism powers, and it must rightly be saluted. This is why CAGE International is proud to join the Witness Bloc in solidarity with Defend Our Juries.”

Spokesperson for the Palestine Coalition [1] said: 

“The UK government remains an active participant in Israel’s attempted erasure of the Palestinian people. In the context of Israel’s ongoing massacres of Palestinian civilians, targeted killings of Palestinian journalists, writers and anyone positioned to report news from Gaza; in the context of what has been confirmed as a man-made famine; the British government instead of ending its complicity with genocide devotes instead its energy and resources to using authoritarian practices to repress those protesting against genocide. 

We condemn the proscription of Palestine Action. Non-violent direct action is not terrorism. We condemn the arrests of leading spokespeople from Defend our Juries - protesting against proscription is not a crime. We condemn the Met Police’s continued usage of conditions to suppress our national marches and the bringing of charges against four leaders of our coalition and call for those charges to be dropped. The Government's attempts to silence opposition to its complicity in genocide will not work. Hundreds of thousands will again be protesting on Saturday knowing that they represent the majority of public opinion, who demand an end to all UK support for Israel's decades long oppression of the Palestinian people, and for the government to end its assault on the right to protest.”

Oscar from IJAN-UK said, "The ongoing targeting of Defend Our Juries (DOJ) organisers and protestors by the Metropolitan Police exposes the British State as increasingly desperate and out-of-control. The Terrorism Act 2000 is the perfect tool for such escalating authoritarian repression - and DOJ are showing the public in real-time why it must be repealed. Rather than rounding up and detaining protestors, the State should urgently re-evaluate its commitment to supporting the ethnic cleansing and racist extermination of the Palestinian people."

Anne Alexander, on behalf of the organisers of the Protest is not Terrorism open letter said:

“The organisations which have signed our open letter condemning the proscription of Palestine Action and its repressive consequences represent over half a million people from across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. They include teachers, university and college workers, health workers, local government workers, civil servants and transport workers who are outraged that a government which aids and abets mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza is cracking down on people who are engaged in peaceful acts of self-expression in order to draw attention to repression and genocide. Trade unionists who are signatories to our letter will be forming a delegation as part of the Witness Bloc to show the Home Secretary and police that mass arrests will not intimidate the movement in solidarity with Palestine.”

END
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The full list of organisations forming the “Lift the Ban Witness Bloc” are as follows:
- Black Lives Matter UK
- CAGE International
- International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network - UK
- The Palestine Coalition including:
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
- Friends of Al-Aqsa
- Muslim Association of Britain
- Palestinian Forum in Britain
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Stop the War Coalition
- Protest is Not Terrorism Signatories: https://protestisnotterrorism.uk/2025/07/14/open-letter-protest-is-not-terrorism-defend-p*alestine-action-from-proscription/* 
1. Legal context: The arrests of the Defend Our Juries organisers were made under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which prohibits inviting support for a proscribed organisation which has a maximum penalty of 14 years [Source: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25435190.5-members-defend-juries-arrested-police-raids/ ] . The mass arrests of protesters have been made under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which prohibits displaying an article in support of a proscribed organisation which has a maximum penalty of six months. [ Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/met-police-palestine-action-charges-b1245432.html ]
2. Recent Escalation: The dawn raids on 2nd September mark a significant escalation, directly targeting the organisers of peaceful protests. Amnesty International UK has stated these arrests are "a clear violation of international law" and constitute "authoritarian practices to silence dissent." [Source: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uk-arrest-palestine-action-solidarity-protest-leaders-clear-violation-international]
3. Event Details: The ‘Lift the Ban’ protest, organised by Defend Our Juries, is scheduled for Saturday, 6th September at 1:00 PM in Parliament Square, London. The campaign asks for the Home Office to reverse its decision on the proscription of the direct action group - Palestine Action.
4. Judicial Challenge: The proscription of Palestine Action is itself under legal challenge. The group's co-founder, Huda Ammori, has been granted permission for a full judicial review of the ban, which will be heard at the High Court in November [source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlerg1n67no ]
5. Global Response: Amnesty International has launched its first-ever global “Urgent Action” focused on the UK, concerning the right to protest and the mass arrest [ source: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uk-arrest-palestine-action-solidarity-protest-leaders-clear-violation-international ]
6. Visuals: High-resolution images from previous protests and a logo for the organisations forming the Witness Bloc are available upon request.
7. Interviews: For further information or to arrange an interview with a spokesperson from the Witness Bloc, please contact:

Media Contact: defendourjuries@protonmail.com