Palestine Action: Protesters in Sheffield carried to police vans and arrested for holding signs
17 protesters were carried into waiting police vans at a rally supporting Palestine Action in Sheffield on Saturday.
The protesters outside Sheffield Cathedral on November 29 were part of a national movement where people sat on pavements holding signs reading: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Palestine Action was proscribed under the Terrorism Act in July following an incident where protesters threw red paint on a military plane after gaining access to RAF Brize Norton.
On Saturday, officers from South Yorkshire Police read lengthy warnings to each protester, including the phrase ‘is there anything I can say or do to convince you to give me that sign?’ before arresting them and carrying them to nearby vans.
In one video sent to The Star, an officer tells an elderly woman holding a sign: “If you are arrested or convicted of this offence [under the Terrorism Act] it is likely to have a significant impact on your life. Have you considered the implications of a criminal record?”
“At my age, who cares,” replies the woman.
![In one video sent to The Star, an officer told the woman pictured here: “If you are arrested or convicted of this offence [under the Terrorism Act] it is likely to have a significant impact on your life. Have you considered the implications of a criminal record?” “At my age, who cares,” replied the woman.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2025/12/02/15/36/IMG_3679.jpeg?crop=3:2,smart&trim=&width=640&quality=65)
All 17 were later released on bail. The Star understands the oldest person arrested was aged 80.
Over 2,350 people have been arrested for holding signs as part of the campaign so far.
Protests occurred between November 18-29 in 18 towns and cities across the UK in what the group described as “the most widespread civil disobedience campaign in modern British history.”
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries, who are organising the Lift The Ban (on Palestine Action) protests, said: “The chorus of condemnation against the ban continues to grow, as does the number of principled people standing up against the government’s authoritarian overreach.
“These historic mobilisations will honour those already imprisoned for risking everything to disrupt the flow of arms to Israel. The Filton 24 and Brize Norton 5 must be granted immediate bail and full access to the evidence they need to defend themselves.
“These actions will also, once again, be in solidarity with the people of Gaza and the West Bank.”
The Star contacted South Yorkshire Police for a comment on whether any of the17 people arrested were charged. A spokesperson responded to say all 17 were bailed.
In July, the House of Commons moved to proscribe Palestine Action as a terror group in a vote that bundled in two other outfits, including a Russian neo-Nazi paramilitary outfit. Critics said this made it harder for MPs to vote against the move.
Among Sheffield’s MPs, Clive Betts, Louise Haigh and Gill Furniss voted in favour, while Abtisam Mohamed, Marie Tidball and Olivia Blake, abstained on the vote.