Unpacking the crackdown on Palestine solidarity activism in the UK in a post October 7th reality

Since the events of October 7th, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli military campaign that has decimated the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, the increase in grassroots solidarity for Palestine has been significant, with a range of actions erupting across major towns and cities around the globe. The response from ‘Western’ governments has ranged from efforts to contain mass protests to outright attempts to criminalise and delegitimise those engaged in acts of solidarity with and for Palestine. In this article, we unpack the way in which Palestine solidarity work has been subjected to increased scrutiny, monitoring, and ultimate crackdown in the UK. We highlight that the containment and suppression of public support for Palestine takes on a variety of forms, including attempts to foster a narrative that delegitimises the cause of Palestine and those who support it, to repression and criminalisation of those engaged in solidarity work, to the more informal silencing tactics, suppression of workplace displays of solidarity, university crackdowns on free speech, and attacks on arts and cultural spaces. The collective impact is designed to have a chill effect on those engaged in solidarity work for Palestine. We note the racialised nature of the criminalisation of dissent, highlighting the disproportionate targeting of people of colour and members of the Muslim community, and reach the conclusion that suppression of pro-Palestine solidarity is linked to a broader attempt to maintain a status quo in the UK (and beyond), one that is based on the functioning and maintenance of global racial capitalism.