Displaying Palestine Action posters in your windows is legal, Met Police say
Officers were informed about a poster placed in the window of a property in Peckham, south-east London, which stated: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action"
The Metropolitan Police has said it is not a criminal offence to display a poster supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action in your window — even if visible from the street.
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LBC can reveal that last week officers were informed about a poster placed in the window of a property in Peckham, south-east London, which stated: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
The slogan is often used by supporters of the group on banners, placards and leaflets.
However, after investigating the sign, the Metropolitan Police concluded that no offence had taken place.
The case has sparked concern from community leaders about “a distinctly intimidating atmosphere for Jewish people” in the UK, as well as calls for the law to be tightened.
In a letter seen by LBC, an inspector at the Metropolitan Police said: “We have looked into this matter and our lawyers say it is not an offence for this poster to be displayed from private premises, even if it can be seen from the street.
“This is to do with the precise wording of the legislation.”
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, a person commits an offence if they “arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation,” but only if it happens in a “public place.”
“The really important part of that is that line: ‘a person in a public place,’” protest lawyer Katie McFadden explains.
“Someone who is displaying a poster within the window of their own home is not, fundamentally, in a public place when they are doing so.”
LBC understands the Met has dealt with several similar cases since the then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper made it a criminal offence to be a member of Palestine Action or “invite or recklessly express support for them” in July.
However, the Met’s decision has been criticised by some legal experts.
Jonathan Turner, a barrister at Three Stone Chambers and Chief Executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, told LBC that Sir Mark Rowley’s force was “plain wrong” to argue that an offence had not been committed under existing legislation.
“I think it is an offence under Section 12 (1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000, which provides that a person commits an offence if he expresses an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation,” Mr Turner said.
Almost 500 protesters were arrested in central London on Saturday for displaying support for the group, with many holding banners which contained the same message - “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” - seen in the window of the property in Peckham.
Mr Turner believes that the Met “should definitely” take a second look at the case.
“There is a risk that if you allow one and say, that's lawful, that you'll end up with whole streets with these in their windows, creating a distinctly intimidating atmosphere for Jewish people and other people who are generally supportive - for example, the British Armed Forces.
“[There could be] a sense that ‘everyone's supporting Palestine Action, so we should’, which may lead people to donate to Palestine Action. If you have enough people doing that, an organisation like Palestine Action then has the funds to carry out more of its activities which are very harmful and definitely criminal.”
Meanwhile, Defend Our Juries, a group which opposes the proscription of Palestine Action, have published advice to their supporters encouraging them to display posters in their homes because of police inaction in response to a similar case in Liverpool in August.
Their message reads: “Senior officers in Merseyside Police confirmed that it is lawful to put up a version of our posters in the window of your house… It would be an abuse of process to prosecute someone for any other offences, contrary to public statements made by the police and prosecutors about the signs.”
Underneath their post, Defend Our Juries also provides three versions of the “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” poster for users to download and place in their windows.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told LBC “the law should be changed” in response to the emergence of this loophole.
“Supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation, which includes organisations like Hamas, should not be publicly visible, therefore I think the law should be amended to cover circumstances like these as well,” Mr Philp said.
In Scotland, by contrast, authorities took the decision to charge a man in Glasgow for displaying a supportive poster in his window earlier this year.
Palestine Action was proscribed in July after two Voyager aircraft were targeted at RAF Brize Norton. The planes were sprayed with red paint in protest against Britain’s support for Israel, and £7 million worth of damage was caused.
Five activists have been charged in relation to the incident and are likely to face trial in 2027.
The Metropolitan Police told LBC that the force is deploying] additional resources to the areas around synagogues in response to the terror attack in Greater Manchester last week, where two Jewish men were killed as they observed Yom Kippur.
A Home Office spokesperson added it is for the police and Crown Prosecution Service to determine if a crime has been committed.