Police in Scotland detained award-winning Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty for wearing a T-shirt reading, “Genocide in Palestine, time to take action.”
The arrest took place on Monday in Edinburgh, where the I, Daniel Blake writer was showing support for the pro-Palestine activist group Palestine Action. The group was protesting against the UK government’s support for Israel amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
An account on X representing I, Daniel Blake director Ken Loach and his production company Sixteen Films, confirmed Laverty's arrest.
"Paul Laverty currently being held in custody at St Leonard's Police Station Edinburgh... assumed to be for supporting Palestine Action (PA)," the account said on social media.
Scottish police spokesperson stated, "Following a protest outside St Leonards Police Station on Monday, 25 August 2025, a 68-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 for showing support for a proscribed organization."
In July, the UK proscribed the activist group Palestine Action, which takes direct measures against Israeli weapons factories in the UK and their supply chain. The group was officially designated as a “terrorist organization.”
Under the new legislation, membership of or public support for the group is now a criminal offense in the UK, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
There have been hundreds of individual and mass arrests of people attending rallies in support of Palestine Action across the UK since the ban on the group came into force on July 5.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, last month sharply criticized Britain’s ban on the Pro-Palestine group, calling it a “disturbing” misuse of the UK’s counter terrorism laws and urging the government to reverse the decision.
Turk recently warned that the British government’s decision “also conflates protected expression and other conduct with acts of terrorism and so could readily lead to further chilling effect on the lawful exercise of these rights by many people.”
“I urge the UK government to rescind its decision to proscribe Palestine Action and to halt investigations and further proceedings against protesters who have been arrested on the basis of this proscription,” Turk said.
Earlier this month, 532 people were arrested at a demonstration related to Palestine Action since it was proscribed.
Palestine Action has focused much of its campaign on Elbit Systems UK, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, which it accuses of manufacturing and supplying weapons to the Israeli military amid the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.
In July, following the government's decision to ban the group, a spokesperson for Palestine Action said, “While the government is rushing through parliament absurd legislation to proscribe Palestine Action, the real terrorism is being committed in Gaza."
Israel has killed nearly 62,800 Palestinians in its genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023. The offensive has devastated the besieged Strip, which is also facing a famine.
Source:Websites
