British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was confronted by pro-Palestine protesters in a Liverpool restaurant as police arrested demonstrators outside the Labour Party conference for displaying support for banned group Palestine Action.
Around 180–200 people took part in a sit-in organised by Defend Our Juries, with protesters holding signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Two protesters then approached Miliband while he was eating at a restaurant near the conference venue, urging him to “deproscribe” Palestine Action and recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. One activist also asked him to speak with demonstrators being arrested nearby, saying: “To have a conversation with us, come and talk to us as we are being arrested.”
The confrontation came as protesters continued to challenge the UK government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act in July 2025. The High Court subsequently ruled that the proscription was disproportionate and unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression and assembly, although the ban remained in force during the legal proceedings.
The incident also came just before Miliband told Labour’s conference that those who had been “moved and outraged” by the plight of Palestinians were “right”, while announcing more measures against Israel and its settlements.
