Gabriel Carlyle holds a sign at a protest in St Leonards Warrior Square, Saturday 30 August 2025. Photo: Milan Rai

Hastings man charged for holding sign referencing ‘Palestine Action’

The UK’s free speech crackdown continues as Israeli human rights organisations condemn Israel’s ‘genocide’ in Gaza. HOT’s Erica Smith reports.

A St Leonards resident has been charged under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign in Parliament Square bearing the words ‘I support nonviolent resistance. I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.’

Gabriel Carlyle (51) from St Leonards was one of 29 people arrested for holding a sign in Parliament Square on 5 July. Since then, over 700 people – including a blind man in a wheelchair and an 83-year-old Anglican priest – have been arrested for holding near-identical signs at similar protests around the UK.

The government proscribed (i.e. banned) the nonviolent direct action group Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act at the beginning of July.

This makes it illegal:

• to express an opinion or belief that supports a proscribed organisation, where the person is ‘reckless’ as to whether the expression will encourage others to support the organisation (Section 12 Terrorism Act 2000);
• to wear clothing or carry articles in public which arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of Palestine Action (Section 13, Terrorism Act 2000); or
• to publish an image of an item or logo that may arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of Palestine Action (Section 13, Terrorism Act 2000).

Gabriel Carlyle in handcuffs, following his arrest for holding a sign in Parliament Square on 5 July. Image: Pat Gaffney

The ban – which received overwhelming support from MPs, including Hastings MP Helena Dollimore – has been condemned by UN experts, cultural figures including Steve Coogan, Paul Weller and Tilda Swinton, and hundreds of lawyers.

On 30 July the High Court granted permission for a judicial review of the ban which will be heard in November.

Israel’s genocide

On 22 August Amnesty International launched its first ever urgent action regarding the right to protest in the UK.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said: ‘Peaceful protest is a fundamental right. People are understandably outraged by the ongoing genocide being committed in Gaza and are entitled under international human rights law to express their horror. The protesters, half of whom were over the age of 60, were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as “terrorists” … Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the Government should be focusing on taking immediate and unequivocal action to put a stop to Israel’s genocide and ending any risk of UK complicity in it.’

Over 1,000 people are expected to defy the ban again in Parliament Square next Saturday (6 September).

Gabriel Carlyle, who has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday 13 October, told HOT: ‘The world’s two leading human rights organisations – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – and Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem have all concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Yet instead of fulfilling its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention and ending all UK arms sales to Israel (whether direct or indirect), the UK government has instead chosen to misuse anti-terror powers to repress nonviolent protest and freedom of speech about these arms sales.

‘I call on my MP, Helena Dollimore, to disavow her recent vote to ban Palestine Action, acknowledge that Israeli actions clearly fit the legal definition of genocide and join other Labour MPs in signing Early Day Motion 1310 calling for the immediate suspension of all UK arms sales to Israel.’

Helena Dollimore MP has been approached for comment about this article but as yet has not responded.

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