At 1pm this afternoon, 2 supporters of Defend Our Juries took part in a silent demonstration outside of Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, holding signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. The protest was held in solidarity with hundreds of others in London today, arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act. Despite arrests made in London for support of the proscribed group, no arrests were made in Truro during the hour-long demonstration.

Direct action group Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, after breaking into RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, vandalising 2 loaned aircraft allegedly being used to refuel British surveillance jets flying over Gaza. The group reached headlines consistently, interfering with infrastructure and technology used by or for the Israeli Defence Forces to commit human rights violations against Palestinians.

A telephone conversation recorded by Defend Our Juries Kernow shows Devon and Cornwall Police being informed of the protest soon after it had begun. The on-call officer claimed he would inform D&C’s public order Silver Commander of the day’s protest, and yet no arrests were forthcoming. Only half an hour after the protest had ended did 2 Devon and Cornwall’s Police Community Support Officers begin to make inquiries to local businesses.

The choice of D&C Police not to make arrests for breaches of the Terrorism Act contradicts the “Interim position” of the Metropolitan Police on the proscription. Once it was ruled unlawful by the High Court in February this year, the Metropolitan Police claimed they would not enforce the ban, but after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was allowed to appeal the ruling, the force began to make arrests for support again. The Met Police largely sets the precedent for Public Order strategy nationwide, and D&C’s continuing unwillingness or inability to arrest individuals for support of Palestine Action muddies the water on policing for Section 13.

In a press release, a spokesperson for Kernow Defend our Juries said:

“Today we took action in solidarity with hundreds of people in London holding signs expressing support for Palestine Action. The proscription of Palestine Action, as shown in the High Court ruling, is an unlawful attack on our human rights. Taking direct action against the arms companies profiting from Israel’s genocide in Gaza is our moral duty. It is upholding international law. It is not terrorism.”

When asked for comment on today’s police inaction, a spokesperson for the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) said:

“Devon and Cornwall Police have yet again shown that the Metropolitan Police have a choice – they do not have to make arrests. This is political policing designed to intimidate and deter protesters. Not only is it clear that these protesters are not terrorists, the High Court has ruled that proscription is unlawful. The protest in Truro shows that it is down to individual police forces to choose where they direct their resources and the Met is clearly showing that their priority is arresting peaceful pensioners sitting with placards.”

One of the sitters, and Penzance Town Councillor,  David SmartKnight, said:

‘I am taking action today because I utterly oppose this country’s complicity in supporting Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza.  My heart dreams of leaving a more beautiful world for all children to inherit – one in which there is no room for complicity in this colonial evil.”

Another sitter added:

“Whilst I do oppose genocide and I do support Palestine Action, I want to emphasise that I sat today also to oppose the infringements on our basic democratic rights. Our rights to free expression, to assembly, and to protest are vital to our democracy. Even if Palestine Action is de-proscribed, it’s important we remain vigilant about keeping these rights.”

Image Via: Cobblestone Media.