Pro-Palestine Action group to rally at Labour conference led by Burnham

Pro-Palestine campaigners plan to gather on Sunday for a mass, silent sign-holding vigil in Liverpool, close to the venue for the Labour Party conference that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will open. The demonstration, organised by the rights group Defend Our Juries, is explicitly in response to the government proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation earlier this year. Organisers expect several hundred attendees and anticipate further arrests during the event. Defend Our Juries describes the rally as an "integrity test" for Burnham’s leadership, saying it will judge whether the new prime minister intends to end what they call Britain’s complicity in Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Since the July 2025 ban, the group says civil disobedience linked to Palestine Action has led to more than 3,600 arrests, frequently involving people holding placards reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." The campaign’s primary target has been Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. Burnham has taken a more outspoken stance on settler violence and illegal settlements compared with recent predecessors, announcing new sanctions earlier this month. Nevertheless, activists and rights groups continue to press Labour to suspend arms sales to Israel and to lift the ban on Palestine Action. The proscription was implemented while Keir Starmer was prime minister; Starmer’s government originally listed the group under the Terrorism Act. The protest arrives amid additional controversy over access to the conference after Declassified UK reported it had been denied media passes to cover the event. Commentators quoted in reporting on the wider political context note that Labour’s position on Palestine has shifted over several leaders and that the issue presents strategic and political dilemmas for the party. Observers say whether Burnham’s government revisits the ban on Palestine Action may depend on how salient the issue becomes in British politics and on other domestic and international pressures.