Monday briefing: Who are the people trying to protect our right to protest?
Good morning. At first glance, you could mistake it for an image of a pair of community cops assisting an elderly woman as she navigates some tricky steps. Only closer examination reveals they are arresting her. Yesterday afternoon, 84-year-old Reverend Sue Parfitt, a retired Anglican priest, and 13 others stepped one by one on to a modest cardboard box outside New Scotland Yard in London, to invite members of the constabulary to join the banned direct action network Palestine Action. That simple invitation, made with tongues firmly in cheeks, resulted in their arrests under section 12 of the Terrorism Act, punishable with up to 14 years’ imprisonment. It was a balmy afternoon and the arresting officers wore shirt sleeves. As a courtesy to the advanced years of some of the protesters, elders were not handcuffed. Sunday also marked the year anniversary of the proscription of Palestine Action – the first direct action protest group to be banned under the Terrorism Act – and the beginning of one of the largest campaigns of mass civil disobedience in modern British history, led by Defend Our Juries. I spoke to our legal affairs correspondent, Haroon Siddique, who has reported on every twist of this saga, about the campaigners’ escalating tactics, and what it means for our right to protest across the UK. Weekend roundup UK politics | Questions have been swirling over the Reform leader’s future, after it arose that Nigel Farage did not declare gifts and benefits provided by a crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud. US news | In a campaign-style speech in Washington DC , Donald Trump hailed the “unmatched achievement and unlimited potential” of the US, in an address marking the country’s 250th anniversary. UK politics | Andy Burnham has been called on to appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor, with his advocates arguing in favour of the energy secretary’s “bold” vision to revive the economy. Egypt | Archaeologists have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert – revealing details of daily life, urban development and economic activities. Health news | The scientist who pioneered the “extreme male brain” theory of autism has said he regrets characterising the condition in this way because the phrase lends itself to misunderstandings. In depth: ‘They might feel that if it goes to a jury trial, juries will acquit them’
Yesterday’s action was part of a significant escalation from the campaign group Defend Our Juries, whose Lift the Ban campaign has already resulted in more than 3,400 arrests of peaceful protesters holding up cardboard signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. But first, a reminder of how we got here. Former home secretary, Yvette Cooper, announced the ban a few days after two members of Palestine Action broke into the RAF’s Brize Norton airbase last June and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint. The group said they “interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East”; the direct action caused £7m damage, according to the Ministry of Defence. Since then, alongside this civil disobedience campaign, Palestine Action has fought proscription through the courts – with wins and losses. In February, the high court concluded it was wrong for the government to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, but in June, five appeal judges overturned that decision, ruling that the ban was lawful. And last month, four Palestine Action activists were given prison sentences of between four and eight years for the 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems UK, the British subsidiary of Israel’s largest privately owned arms manufacturer, and grievous bodily harm against a police sergeant. The judge ruled that there was a “terrorist connection” to their offending, but the jury – who did find them guilty – were not told this might happen, and that it would probably lengthen the sentence they received. “Although it’s permitted under the Sentencing Act, the reason it grabbed so much public attention is the terrorism connection has never been used before in a case about property damage,” says Haroon. Some may sense a double standard here: during the trial, the judge had ruled the protesters weren’t allowed to explain their motivations to the jury. “But then when he looked at the terrorism connection, that’s exactly what the judge was doing, by considering their motivations and ideology”. *** What does this tell us about the right to protest? Particularly after the Elbit Systems convictions, civil liberties groups warned that the very definition of terrorism is becoming dangerously wide. While the Terrorism Act does include serious property damage within the definition of what constitutes terrorism, Haroon says, “most people think of terrorism as violence against people, and the intent to kill people.” Furthermore, many lawyers argue that the “serious property damage” element was never intended to capture groups like Palestine Action or Greenpeace, but the scenario where a group like the IRA would call in a warning before blowing up a building. “Now the concern is: what constitutes serious property damage? We’ve seen climate protesters smashing the windows of banks – where do you draw the line? It could affect direct action by a host of different organisations and potentially be a death knell to it.” Haroon also points out that, while Labour was happy to oppose restrictions to protest when they were in opposition and the charge was being led by the last Tory government, the party has introduced further limitations since they came to power: including allowing the police to consider the “cumulative impact” of repeated protests to justify restrictions and a new offence of concealing your identity during a protest, all of which contribute to an incremental chilling effect. And this tightening of anti-protest legislation has human consequences: in May, Haroon highlighted research by Queen Mary University of London which found custodial sentences for direct action or civil disobedience were being imposed with increasing length and frequency, creating “a new breed of political prisoners”. Perhaps best known are the eight Palestine Action activists who risked their lives on hunger strike in late 2025 in protest at their pre-trial detention conditions as well as the ban: Haroon tells me they are recovering slowly but have lasting symptoms, including memory problems. *** How are tactics changing? Despite these recent court losses, yesterday, outside New Scotland Yard, the mood was one of defiance, as Defend Our Juries switched up their tactics again. Their former strategy of holding cardboard signs could have resulted in six months jail time. Now, the 14 activists asserted their membership of the proscribed group and invited support for it – offences which must be heard before a jury and, could carry sentences of up to 14 years in prison, under Sections 11 and 12 of the Terrorism Act. Defend Our Juries have also been sharing social media videos of individuals inviting similar charges – one features 69-year-old Marji, a retired tax adviser and grandmother to seven, who stuck a piece of torn freezer label on her English Heritage membership card and wrote the words Palestine Action on it to make her point. “They’re daring the authorities to prosecute them under section 11 or 12 as opposed to section 13,” says Haroon, “because they might well feel that if it goes to a jury trial, juries will acquit them.” It’s notable that none of the 48 video-makers have been contacted by the police so far. Haroon wonders whether there is reluctance to put cases like these before a jury. “At the end of the day, they are inviting support for a group that has a stated aim of preventing war crimes.” Meanwhile, sign holders pleading not guilty – “a moral position as well as a strategy” says Haroon - is causing the courts, and the government, another headache. More than 3,000 sign holders have been arrested, but only 700 charged. With the ban now upheld, Haroon anticipates others may be charged too, resulting in hundreds more trials “at a time when we know the backlogs in the courts are huge”. The primary court battle is not over yet: Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, has pledged to challenge the ban in the supreme court, and thereafter the European court of human rights. And an additional domestic challenge will be heard in Scotland later this week, where campaigners hope to win the chance to put forward the argument that the arrest of sign holders violated their human rights. *** What comes next? Last month, pro-Palestine campaigners told the Guardian they were hopeful of a “sea change” in the Labour party’s approach, resulting in a tougher stance on Israel. The Labour party, meanwhile, seems to be changing its stance on Israel. “There’s an argument that groups like Palestine Action, who’ve raised awareness of what’s happening in Gaza and the UK’s involvement in it, are part of what’s caused this shift,” says Haroon. With an imminent change of Labour leadership, and seven in 10 Labour members agreeing the government was wrong to ban Palestine Action, Andy Burnham’s approach – and who he picks as home secretary – will be watched with great interest. In an interview ahead of his Makerfield victory, Burnham declined to describe the destruction of Gaza as a genocide. With charges pending, I wasn’t able to speak directly to yesterday’s protesters, but Trudi Warner, a Defend Our Juries observer and veteran anti-corruption campaigner filled me in on the mood at New Scotland Yard. “These people were saying clearly ‘We are not terrorists’. Palestine Action opposes genocide in Gaza – it takes its moral responsibility seriously. I would encourage the UK government to do likewise.” We want to hear from you Andy Burnham has focused on Q&As with the public rather than set-piece interviews since his dramatic return to Westminster, provoking debate about whether he is dodging media scrutiny. We’d like to hear your thoughts, especially if you took part in the Q&As yourselves. To get in touch hit reply or email first.edition@theguardian.com The week to come Monday | A landmark allergy safety guidance for schools in England comes into force after campaigning by the family of Benedict Blythe, a five-year-old boy who died after he was wrongly given milk at school. Tuesday | The Nato summit in Turkey begins, which will be Keir Starmer’s last international event as UK prime minister. Thursday | Nominations open for Labour leadership, where members of the PLP may nominate themselves or another. Thursday | The Ethics and Integrity Commission, the UK government’s sleaze watchdog established by Sir Keir Starmer last October, publishes it review of lobbying transparency What else we’ve been reading
No badge? No problem. I enjoyed this thoughtful excavation of the TV mystery trope about the outsider who outsmarts the professionals. Libby I adored Polly Hudson this weekend, on taking pride in being a grudge holder. Don’t mind if I do! Poppy We’ve made a hard-hitting film about the families who are determined to use Mexico’s hosting of the World Cup to expose the country’s cartel crisis which has led to the kidnapping of tens of thousands of citizens. Libby World Cup 2026
On the pitch Mexico v England | Jarell Quansah saw red and Harry Kane scored and conceded penalties after Jude Bellingham’s double as England beat Mexico 3-2 in an extraordinary game. Brazil v Norway | Erling Haaland scored twice in the final 10 minutes, stunning Brazil with a 2-1 win and sending Norway into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. Last 16 | Canada got knocked out of the competition on Sunday, with their coach bizarrely claiming they “controlled the match”, in a game that ended Morocco 3-0 Canada. Morocco will meet France in the quarter-finals after Mbappé’s side played “dirty football” with a final score of France 1-0 Paraguay. Off the pitch England | A look back at the England men’s team’s matches in the iconic Azteca Stadium. USA | While it invites players from all over the world to the competition, there was a worrying rising tide of overt racism over the Fourth of July weekend. World Cup Daily podcast | Want to digest the England result in good company? Max and Barry are hard at work throughout the tournament producing an episode of the Guardian’s football podcast every day. Listen to the latest episode here. Today’s Fixtures Portugal v Spain, 8pm on BBC One USA v Belgium 1am on BBC One Sport
Tennis | The No 1 seed, Aryna Sabalenka, was knocked out of Wimbledon in round four by an inspired Naomi Osaka, with the Japanese No 14 seed blazing to a 6-2, 7-6 (2) win. Cycling | Charles Leclerc won at Silverstone, with George Russell second and Lewis Hamilton third after a late safety car, while a fault left Kimi Antonelli 16th. Cricket | Australia beat England by seven wickets after Beth Mooney struck a half-century in her third T20 World Cup final in a row. The front pages
“Crackdown on donations as Farage faces new gift row”, is the Guardian’s front page today. The Express says “Farage: This is a hit job, I’ve done nothing wrong”, the Mirror writes “Farage & the ‘con’s cash’”, and Metro’s take is “Crackdown on party donors amid row over ‘Posh George’”. The Telegraph leads with “Trump threatens Nato over defence”, the Times also splashes on “PM facing Nato rebuke from Trump at summit”. The Mail has “NHS treats dementia patients as ‘second-class citizens’” and the i Paper says “Weight-loss pills from chemists – but ‘not on the NHS until 2028’”. The FT has “FCA warns of ‘arms race’ as AI spreads in financial sector”. Lastly, the Sun writes ahead of the World Cup clash “How’s the hangover?”. Today in Focus
Has the US finally fallen in love with football? Has the success of the US men’s team – and hosting the World Cup – finally made Americans fall in love with football? Guardian US soccer correspondent, Jeff Rueter, talks to Helen Pidd. Cartoon of the day | Tom Gauld
The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
Green Man festival in Wales runs a training scheme that helps refugees and asylum seekers gain skills, confidence, and community. Participants get to learn communication, front‑of‑house work, food safety, and money management while experiencing their first festival. Many, like Mina and Javid from Afghanistan, say the programme helped them connect with British and Welsh culture, rebuild confidence, and form lasting friendships. The scheme has involved 191 people from 52 countries, offering equipment, guidance, and a safe environment. Green Man organiser Fiona Stewart says the project counters hostility toward refugees and shows how much they bring to UK culture, helping them feel accepted and included. “Overall, it’s really like something to give you a fresh start and I’m pretty sure when we return back home it will be very positive vibes. And you can spread this back,” Olga, from Ukraine, said. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
