UK’s Corbyn calls for Palestine Action delisting as jailed constituent joins hunger strike
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged the UK government to reverse its ban on Palestine Action, a pro-Palestine activist group targeting arms companies, in a letter to Justice Secretary David Lammy.
The independent MP wrote to Lammy on Wednesday, raising concerns about constituent Amu Gib, one of a group of Palestine Action members who launched a hunger strike in protest against their detention.
Gib has been held since June for alleged offences related to a break-in by demonstrators at a military base, with a trial not scheduled until January 2027 – far exceeding the UK’s standard 182-day pre-trial custody limit.
Corbyn cited UN officials who condemned the proscription as “not justified” and said the ban has led to more than 2,000 arrests. The hunger strikers are demanding immediate bail, fair trials, and the group’s de-proscription.
My constituent is one of six political prisoners on hunger strike, demanding the right to a fair trial and the de-proscription of Palestine Action.
I have written to David Lammy to demand urgent action.
The government knows the truth: the weight of history is against them. pic.twitter.com/IzixW5CFod
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 20, 2025
UK legal scholars demand government drop new anti-protest powers
More than 80 legal scholars and practitioners have signed an open letter, urging the British government to withdraw a proposed law that would give police new powers to restrict protests, which they warn could impact pro-Palestine demonstrations.
The letter, addressed to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, opposes an amendment requiring police to consider the “cumulative impact” of demonstrations held in the same area when deciding whether to impose conditions on marches or assemblies.
The scholars “while the recent proposal is framed in general terms, the proposed new police power would have a direct and chilling impact on protests against Israel’s ongoing crimes in Gaza – including scholasticide and (what the UN International Commission of Inquiry deemed as) genocide”.
Signatories include professors from leading UK universities and practising lawyers. They warn that the measure would significantly erode protest rights in England and Wales and likely breach the European Convention on Human Rights.
The proposal follows months of large pro-Palestinian demonstrations and comes amid a government review of protest laws.
