“Arrest was part of escalating police repression of peaceful protest”
104th arrest or detention by the police in 59 years of human rights campaigning
London UK – 29 April 2026
The Metropolitan Police have dropped their case against human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell over his Palestine protest placard that read: “Globalise the intifada. Non-violent resistance. End Israel’s occupation of Gaza & West Bank.”
Photo of the placard above. Free use. Credit: Peter Tatchell
Mr Tatchell is now consulting his solicitors about a civil action against the police for wrongful arrest, 12 hours unlawful detention and a 12-week unjustified ban on him attending Palestine protests.
He was arrested for the placard wording at the Palestine national march on 31 January and bailed on condition that he did not attend any demonstration supporting Palestine.
It was his 104th arrest or detention by the police in 59 years of human rights campaigning.
After nearly three months, the bail condition was contested by Mr Tatchell’s solicitor, Raj Chada, of Hodge Jones and Allen.
“At my bail hearing on 22 April, the magistrate accepted that the police bail condition banning me from attending Palestine protests was unreasonable and disproportionate. I was granted unconditional bail. Police held the court in contempt by failing to attend the hearing,” said Mr Tatchell, aged 74.
“The following day, 23 April, the police officer handling my case failed to attend my bail appointment at Charing Cross police station.
“The police claimed that my use of the word intifada was a racially & religiously aggravated offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act. Not true. My placard did not mention anyone’s race or religion. Many Jewish & Israeli people also non-violently oppose Netanyahu & his mass killing of Palestinian civilians. Police are not enforcing the law; they are fabricating interpretations of it.
“My arrest was an attack on free speech. The police claim the word intifada is unlawful. But it is not a crime in law. The police are interpreting public order legislation in ways never intended by parliament. They are undermining the right to protest and engaging in overreach by making expression of the word intifada an arrestable offence.
“This is part of a dangerous trend to increasingly restrict and criminalise peaceful protests.
“The Arab word intifada means uprising, rebellion or resistance against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. It does not mean violence and is not antisemitic. It is against the Israeli regime and its war crimes, not against Jewish people.
“By ‘non-violent resistance’ I was advocating boycott, sanction and divestment – the same tactics that helped bring down the apartheid regime in South Africa.
“’Globalise the intifada’ means create a worldwide campaign in support of Palestinian rights, similar to the anti-apartheid movement.
“The police are misguided to conflate support for Palestinian resistance to oppression with hatred and attacks on Jews.
“I have a long history of defending Jewish people against the antisemitism of the far right and Islamist extremists. I joined the March Against Antisemitism, with the Chief Rabbi and thousands of Jewish people, on 26 November 2023, after the 7 October massacre,” said Mr Tatchell.
The police have already agreed that Mr Tatchell was wrongly arrested at a Palestine protest on 17 May last year, for an alleged ‘racially and religiously aggravated’ breach of the peace – namely displaying a placard that condemned Israel’s ‘genocide’ and Hamas’s ‘execution’ of Palestinian critics. It read: ‘STOP Israel genocide! STOP Hamas executions! Odai Al-Rubai, aged 22, executed by Hamas! RIP!’”
As a result of a civil action by Mr Tatchell, a settlement is currently being negotiated with the Metropolitan Police by his solicitors at Hodge Jones and Allen.
