How Israel’s genocide in Gaza pulled Britons into the Palestine movement

From quiet lives to protest arrests, Britons are risking freedom and reputations to stand with Palestinians and challenge government policy. Save Share London, United Kingdom –Claire, 52, lives in the Scottish countryside, not far from Edinburgh. She describes her work as “low-level administration” and does not use social media. She lives a quiet life with her dog, reading and baking in her spare time. Until three years ago, she did not consider herself political. Now, she faces 14 years in prison for her suspected show of support forPalestine Action. Claire, who requested Al Jazeera withhold her surname, is one of the many people in the United Kingdom who, until three years ago, did not consider themselves activists. But as the genocide in Gaza was livestreamed, many have rallied around the cause of Palestinian solidarity. Organisations like Defend Our Juries, Artists for Free Palestine, Workers for Free Palestine, and virtually every other insert-profession-here for Palestine have cropped up across the UK. In the summer of 2023, Claire read I Shall Not Hate by Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian physician in Gaza who lost his three daughters to Israeli tank fire. Not long after finishing the book, Claire watched the aftermath of October 7 unfold online. “For me, there wasn’t a delay between ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’ and then lies,” she told Al Jazeera. She went to a pro-Palestine rally on Armistice Day, calling for a ceasefire, and “was horrified” by then Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who called the protests “hate marches”. “I was determined not to ignore [Palestine],” she says. She continued to march, writing letters to lawmakers and fundraising for various Palestinian aid programmes. In August 2025, she began publicly protesting against the proscription of Palestine Action with Defend Our Juries, the group behind a campaign of civil disobedience aimed at lifting the ban. To date, more than 3,000 people have been arrested for showing support for the pressure group that was banned in 2025. Earlier this year, police arrived at her door to arrest Claire under Sections 11 and 12 of the Terrorism Act: “Being a member of a proscribed organisation and encouraging others to join a proscribed organisation.” “I’ve never been in trouble before,” she says. “I’m not backing down.” Marji, 70, lives in Colchester and had a similar feeling after hearing Braverman’s words....