Conservative US journalist Tucker Carlson has sharply criticised the British government for banning the group Palestine Action .
In an interview with the BBC, he said the ban had been imposed Israel's request.
Carlson's criticism came hours after British police arrested more than 500 supporters of the group during a protest in central London.
Carlson described the ban on Palestine Action as “illegal”, saying the British government is trying to suppress any criticism of Israel, which he claimed was now “a crime punishable by law in Britain now". He added that “even simply declaring your support for the Palestinian cause could expose you to arrest”.
When BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire responded that this was not true, Carlson asked in surprise, “Has no one been arrested in Britain for criticising Israel? Of course, they have been arrested. There is a video of that.”
Derbyshire said Palestine Action is a proscribed organisation and support for it was illegal.
Carlson, one of the prominent media personalities on the right in the United States, pressed her on the reason for the ban. He expressed his belief that the group was banned because “the Israeli government wanted that”. Several “Palestine Action” supporters released hours after arrest Separately, British police released several Palestine Action supporters hours after their arrest on charges of supporting a banned organisation. Last Saturday London police arrested 523 people for showing support for Palestine Action, two months after the High Court decision to nullify the Home Office decision to place it on the terrorism list.
Police said those arrested were aged between 18 and 82 .
In statements to The New Arab , a police spokesperson said “most of those arrested have been released on bail” pending completion of investigations. However, he declined to disclose how long the remainder would stay under investigation.
Among those arrested on Saturday was singer-songwriter Robert Del Naja, the frontman of the band Massive Attack, who sat among protesters holding a banner declaring his rejection of genocide in Palestine and his support for Palestine Action.
Police said earlier that the Saturday protest “is likely to involve offences and not be a lawful protest”, stressing that the group “remains a banned organisation, and any expression of support for it constitutes a criminal offence”
Hundreds of Palestine Action supporters had gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London on Saturday afternoon.
They raised banners reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
Images circulating on social media showed police officers carrying elderly protesters by force to police vehicles and transporting them to police stations for questioning.
The protest was organised by the group Defend Our Juries , which opposes the British government's proposal to introduce amendments to the judicial system that would abolish the jury system in British courts. Opponents are calling for these amendments to be dropped, fearing they will harm justice and make it subject to the decision of a single judge. They accuse major institutions of seeking to abolish the jury system to make it easier to convict individuals who oppose their policies, including major arms companies.
The group said the Saturday demonstration, which it called “Everyone Day”, shows that resistance to the ban on Palestine Action is stronger than ever.
The British Home Office had designated “Palestine Action” a banned terrorist organisation in July 2025 under counter-terrorism laws. However, in mid-February, the High Court ruled the decision invalid.
At the time, police said they would stop arresting supporters of the group pending a Court of Appeal ruling on the government's appeal against the High Court decision.
But police reversed their position in March and announced the resumption of arrests of protesters for supporting the group, arguing they cannot ignore criminal offences pending the Court of Appeal ruling. Since the start of arrests of Palestine Action supporters in the summer of 2025, more than 2,200 people have been detained on charges of expressing support for it.
Trials of hundreds of those accused of showing support have been suspended pending resolution of the group's legal status. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .