A protester who was threatened with arrest under the Terrorism Act for holding a Palestine flag and signs saying “free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide” has received an apology from police, including for “unlawful false imprisonment”.
Kent police have also agreed to pay damages and legal costs to Laura Murton, 43, in connection with the 14 July incident in Canterbury in which armed officers told her her demonstration expressed views supportive of Palestine Action, which had been banned earlier that month.
After the Guardian reported the incident, it was raised in parliament, in court – by a judge granting Palestine Action permission for judicial review of its proscription – and by the equalities watchdog when warning of “heavy-handed” policing of Gaza protests.
A letter sent to Murton on behalf of the chief constable of Kent police, Tim Smith, admitted there had been a breach of her right to free speech and that the officers had breached national counter-terrorism policing guidance on the proscription of Palestine Action.
It also admitted unlawful processing of her data and Smith said he had directed that the data be deleted. The officers had said that they would arrest Murton unless she provided her name and address, which she reluctantly agreed to do.
Responding to the settlement of the case, Murton, who said she would donate any compensation to Palestinian causes, said: “People should continue to exercise their lawful right to protest in support of Palestinian people despite the proscription of Palestine Action. I hope this case serves as a reminder to chief constables across the country that there should be no unlawful interference with those protest rights.”
Her lawyer said it was the first time a chief constable had apologised and paid damages for unlawful policing arising from the proscription of Palestine Action.
In the encounter, which Murton filmed, an officer told her: “Mentioning freedom of Gaza, Israel, genocide, all of that all come under proscribed groups, which are terror groups that have been dictated by the government.”
He claimed the phrase “free Gaza” was “supportive of Palestine Action” and that “to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Palestine Action, is an offence under section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act”. The officer told her she had committed that offence.
A Kent police spokesperson had initially sought to justify the arrest, but the letter to Murton said: “The chief constable apologises for any distress you may have suffered as a result of this incident and confirms that any materially similar protest to that which you undertook on 14 July 2025 would not give rise to any grounds to suspect an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000.”
Shamik Dutta, of Bhatt Murphy solicitors, who represented Murton, said: “This is the first time a chief constable has been compelled to pay damages and offer an apology arising from the unlawful policing of the proscription of Palestine Action. Regrettably, Ms Murton’s experience is not unique and given the national failure of police forces to respect rights to free speech in this context, her case is unlikely to be the last.”
