A Banksy mural appeared outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice this week, depicting a judge in full wig, striking down a protester with his gavel. It arrived just days after almost 900 people were arrested at a demonstration supporting Palestine Action, the group proscribed by the UK government in July as a terrorist organisation. 

The scale of the crackdown is extraordinary. On 7 September 2025, the Metropolitan Police made 890 arrests, 857 of them under anti-terror laws. Peaceful protesters, many older adults in their 60s and 70s, were handcuffed and hauled away. Amnesty observers say the protest was overwhelmingly peaceful, yet Britain’s terror legislation is now being used to silence campaigners. 

The controversy has rattled Westminster. Ministers insist the proscription is justified after Palestine Action caused millions in damage to RAF aircraft. Critics argue it’s a legal overreach that endangers free expression — with Irish novelist Sally Rooney among those warning she could face prosecution simply for voicing support. Meanwhile, Israel’s war in Gaza continues to drive outrage worldwide, with Amnesty accusing Israel of deliberately starving civilians. 

In this episode of the podcast, Ciara Doherty asks: has Britain crossed the line in its policing of protest? What does this mean for civil liberties? And should the Irish government respond? 

Ciara is joined first by Georgina Prodromou, UK Political Editor with Bauer, before speaking to Stephen Bowen, human rights barrister and Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland. Together they explore how anti-terror laws are being applied, what’s at stake in the legal fight to overturn the ban, and what happens when long-standing rights collide with domestic security politics.