94-Year-Old Jewish Human Rights Lawyer Arrested in UK Over Palestine Action Support

London, United Kingdom — A 94-year-old Jewish human rights barrister, Margaret Owen, has been arrested in Liverpool for showing support for Palestine Action, a group banned by the British government under terrorism legislation.

Owen was detained during a protest outside the Labour Party’s annual conference. She had repeatedly attended demonstrations carrying a placard reading, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

She told Al Jazeera that she had been trying to get arrested for several months and was pleased that she had finally been detained.

According to Merseyside Police, 82 people were arrested during the same protest on suspicion of carrying or wearing an item supporting a proscribed organisation. Those arrested were later released on bail.

Owen said she believed the participation of lawyers and other legal professionals in the protests could give the civil disobedience campaign greater legitimacy.

The demonstrations have been organised by Defend Our Juries, a UK activist group campaigning against the government’s ban on Palestine Action.

Palestine Action was founded in 2020 and says it targets weapons manufacturers and companies it considers connected to Israel’s military activities. Its main target has been Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company with facilities in the UK.

Owen, who received an OBE in 2013 for her contribution to advancing women's human rights, is among a diverse group of protesters arrested over support for Palestine Action. The group includes doctors, teachers, lawyers, vicars, retired magistrates and other public figures.

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said he supports the right to peaceful protest and acknowledged concerns over the criminalisation of elderly people and religious leaders who have been detained.

Owen also has a personal connection to Miliband, saying she was a close friend of his late mother, Marion Kozak, a Holocaust survivor who died earlier this year.

The veteran lawyer said her own family had suffered during the Holocaust, with two of her great-aunts and other relatives killed in the Paneriai massacre near Vilnius in 1941.

Owen studied law at the University of Cambridge and later travelled to Israel, where she said her experiences led her to become increasingly critical of Israeli policies.

She is expected to learn in December whether she will face charges over her support for Palestine Action.

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