Pro-Palestine protesters confronted UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband at a restaurant in Liverpool on Sunday, urging him to lift the ban on Palestine Action and recognize Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, as police arrested demonstrators outside the Labour Party’s annual conference.

Around 200 protesters staged a sit-in outside the conference venue, with activists telling Miliband, “We would like you to deproscribe Palestine Action. We’d like you to declare genocide in Gaza.”

Another protester urged him to speak to demonstrators as they were being arrested, saying they were being detained for peaceful protest. Merseyside Police said more than 50 people had been arrested for allegedly carrying material supporting a proscribed organization.

The UK banned Palestine Action in July 2025 after activists entered RAF Brize Norton, sprayed red paint on military aircraft and placed Palestinian flags on them. Demonstrations against the ban have continued, with protesters deliberately displaying signs supporting the group despite the risk of arrest and a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

In February, the High Court ruled that the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was disproportionate and unlawfully interfered with freedom of expression and assembly, although the ban remained in force during the legal proceedings.

Massive Attack member Robert Del Naja was also arrested in Liverpool on Saturday while holding a sign supporting Palestine Action, according to protest organizers.