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Politics
Apr 01, 2026

UK Faces Accusations of Intimidation After Re‑Arrest of Pro‑Palestine Activists Amid Legal Crackdown

AI Summary
Civil‑rights groups and Palestine solidarity campaigners claim the UK is using intimidation tactics after two young pro‑Palestine activists were re‑arrested while on bail. The arrests, linked to social‑media calls for “direct action” and alleged electronic‑tag tampering, come as the government prepares to appeal a High Court ruling that declared the ban on Palestine Action unlawful, raising concerns over the criminalisation of political dissent.

London, United Kingdom – Civil‑rights organisations and supporters of the Palestine solidarity movement allege that the British state is employing intimidation tactics following the recent re‑arrest of two young pro‑Palestinian activists who were out on bail.

On Monday, 21‑year‑old Qesser Zuhrah was detained at her Watford home after posting on social media urging people to take “direct action”. Counter‑terrorism police charged her with encouraging or assisting criminal damage, a charge tied to the online post. She was granted bail again on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court on 17 April.

Four days earlier, 23‑year‑old Audrey Corno was arrested in south London by plain‑clothes officers who claimed she had tampered with her electronic tag – a breach of bail conditions she denies. Corno said officers emerged from an undercover vehicle parked outside her home and that her tag had been offline for only 20 minutes, a duration she could not have caused.

Both activists were previously imprisoned for alleged involvement in separate 2024 raids on military‑hardware manufacturers linked to the Israeli war effort, actions claimed by the direct‑action group Palestine Action. Zuhrah is part of the “Filton 24” collective accused of breaking into an Elbit Systems UK weapons factory in Bristol, while Corno faced charges related to a break‑in at GRiD Defence Systems in Buckinghamshire.

Although a High Court ruling in February declared the UK’s designation of Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organisation unlawful, the government is preparing an appeal, meaning public support for the group remains illegal for now.

Naila Ahmed, head of campaigns at CAGE International, described Zuhrah’s re‑arrest as part of an “active repression” of pro‑Palestine voices, arguing that the legislation is being used to criminalise political speech and dissent. She called for the abolition of terrorism laws, saying they have historically served as tools of political control rather than public protection.

Human Rights Watch has echoed these concerns, noting a “disproportionate targeting” of groups such as climate‑change activists and Palestine protesters, which undermines the right to protest without fear of harassment.

The arrests occur amid escalating tension between the Metropolitan Police and Britain’s sizable Palestine solidarity movement. A large march is slated for Saturday in London, where demonstrators are expected to chant slogans like “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. The Met, which had paused mass arrests after the High Court decision, has recently reversed that policy, raising the likelihood of further detentions.

In parallel, a court hearing is set for Wednesday involving Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s Ben Jamal and Stop the War Coalition’s Chris Nineham, who face accusations of breaching protest restrictions in January 2025.

Public sentiment appears to be shifting: a YouGov poll found that one in three Britons express “no sympathy at all” for the Israeli side after the conflict has claimed over 72,000 lives and devastated the Gaza Strip.

Critics argue that the Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, has intensified its crackdown on pro‑Palestine activism, citing a wave of arrests and the ongoing proscription of Palestine Action as evidence of a broader strategy to suppress dissent.