Police Scotland are reviewing evidence to identify people who wore t-shirts and held banners showing support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, during a protest outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon.
Demonstrators were pictured holding signs with the message, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action" gathered by the building. No one was arrested at the vigil, but the force said further action will be taken.
Police statement on the protest
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Officers attended planned protests in Edinburgh on the afternoon of Saturday, 31 October, 2026.
"No arrests were made at the time, however enquiries are ongoing to identify people seen wearing t-shirts and holding banners showing support for a proscribed organisation. Evidence is being reviewed and further action will be taken as appropriate."
Organisers respond to the ban
The demonstration was organised by Defend Our Juries Scotland. A spokesperson said they are sitting in "peaceful vigil today to show our solidarity with the Palestinian people" and in opposition to the "absurd ban" on Palestine Action.
They added: "We will continue to defy this ban, and we will not be silenced. Whilst legal proceedings in Scotland have been delayed pending the hearings in the Supreme Court of England and Wales this coming week, we will continue to mount pressure from all angles. The ban must be lifted, and our Government must take meaningful action to end its complicity in genocide."
Legal background and parallel protests
The protest comes ahead of an appeal at the Supreme Court against Palestine Action's designation as a terror group on November 4. Expressing support for the group is an offence under the Terrorism Act after it was proscribed in June 2025.
A similar demonstration was taking place outside the US embassy in Nine Elms, London. The UK Government has been approached for comment.
In June, five Court of Appeal judges said the ban on Palestine Action as a terror group was a "justified and proportionate" interference on freedom of expression rights. This overturned the judgment of three judges at the High Court who ruled in February that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to ban Palestine Action was unlawful, after a legal challenge from the group's co-founder, Huda Ammori.
