Home Office data show that 3,021 terror-related arrests in the UK came in the past year, during the 9/11 anniversary year. That is nearly half of the 6,539 arrests recorded since the twin towers attacks. The sharp rise coincided with the proscription of Palestine Action in July last year.
Palestine Action and the Home Office
The Home Office figures place the recent surge inside a much longer post-9/11 record. The arrest power is being used against people holding signs at silent vigils in support of Palestine Action, and thousands of people were arrested in that context. Defend Our Juries said more than 3,600 people have been arrested so far for alleged support of Palestine Action.
In the year ending 31 March, terrorism-related arrests soared by 1,434 percent. Arrests of women and girls increased by 3,761 percent, and arrests of those aged 30 and over increased by 2,306 percent. Raj Chada, head of criminal defence at Hodge Jones & Allen, said, "The most common terrorist in the UK at present is a pensioner at a silent vigil holding a placard."
Liberty and Ruth Ehrlich
Liberty has pushed back directly on the data. Ruth Ehrlich, Liberty's director of external relations, said, "The staggering increase in arrests over the past year is the clearest indicator that the UK’s counter-terror laws are not fit for purpose." Ehrlich also said that without public trust, counter-terror laws simply won’t work.
That challenge now runs through the legal track as well as the police record. The ban on Palestine Action is facing a continuing legal challenge, and the UK Supreme Court in November is due to hear it. For people arrested at silent vigils, the figures show a policing shift that has moved protest activity into the center of the UK's counter-terror system.
UK Supreme Court in November
The next fixed point is the UK Supreme Court in November, where the legal challenge to the proscription of Palestine Action will be heard. Until then, the Home Office numbers leave one practical question hanging over the arrests already made: how many resulted in charges, convictions, or release.
