Report Summary
Issued 23 September 2025, this FOI response relates to governance of Police Scotland’s approach to policing protests where there is support for a proscribed group such as Palestine Action. Partial disclosure, some information was refused or not held.
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Response
The Scottish Police Authority has considered your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA). Each question and the Authority’s subsequent response is listed below:
- What SPA decisions, minutes or directions exist regarding the policing posture towards “support for” Palestine Action since June 2025? Please provide references.
Police Scotland’s approach to policing protests where there is support for a proscribed group such as Palestine Action, was considered and discussed with Police Scotland’s leadership team at a Board meeting held in public on 21 August 2025.
The Chief Constable’s Report to this meeting contains information on the Proscription of Palestine Action. The meeting was streamed live to the Authority’s YouTube channel and this discussion can be viewed at the following link: Authority Meeting – 21 August 2025.
A minute of the meeting and this discussion will be considered at an Authority meeting to be held on 25 September 2025. Once approved the minute will be published on the Authority website.
- What risk assessment and Equality/Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA) has been completed for these operations? Who signed them off, and when?
- How are Articles 10 and 11 ECHR tests (legality, necessity, proportionality) evidenced for arrests based solely on “inviting support” or “expressing supportive opinions”, as opposed to involvement in criminal damage?
- What operational guidance have officers been given to distinguish between (a) peaceful political expression about Palestine/arms exports and (b) offences under sections 11–13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 relating to proscribed organisations? Please disclose any standard-operating procedures, aide-memoires or briefings.
- How have officers been trained to avoid unlawful interference with lawful protest, consistent with Scottish and UK guidance on marches, parades and static demonstrations?
- How many officer hours and what budget have been spent in Scotland on operations relating to suspected “support for” Palestine Action since 1 July 2025?
In relation to the above questions, the Authority does not hold information. Information may be available from Police Scotland. You may also wish to refer to Police Scotland’s Disclosure Log and results returned using the search term ‘Palestine’.
- Over the same period, how many reports of rape/attempted rape and domestic abuse progressed to charge and to court, and how many resulted in conviction in Scotland? Please break down by division.
The Authority does not hold information.1 Information may be available from Police Scotland and/or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
To assist, the Scottish Government publishes a summary of offences dealt with by courts, sentencing outcomes and characteristics of convicted offenders. The most recent bulletin was published in December 2024.
- What is the current detection rate for rape and domestic-abuse-related sexual violence in each division, and how has it changed since 2023/24?
The Authority does not hold information.1 Information may be available from Police Scotland. To assist, Police Scotland publishes quarterly management information relating to crimes reported to them. The information published provides data by division and local authority area.
- In light of rising sexual-offence volumes and persistently low rape conviction rates, why is the enforcement of “support for a proscribed organisation” receiving comparable or greater resourcing than specialist rape investigation, survivor support and domestic-abuse safeguarding?
10.What steps are you taking to ensure that high-harm offences against women and children are not being de-prioritised due to protest-policing workloads?
11.Please provide monthly Scottish arrest data connected to the Palestine Action proscription (by alleged offence, outcome and division), and any mutual-aid deployments requested or provided. (Note: Counter Terrorism Policing has published UK-wide arrest totals; Scotland-specific data is required for accountability.)
12.Please provide copies of any communications with the Home Office, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and SPA concerning enforcement strategy and thresholds for arrest in Scotland.
13.What consideration has Police Scotland given to the UK’s duty to prevent genocide and avoid complicity, as articulated by the ICJ’s provisional-measures orders, when policing protest speech calling for an end to alleged atrocity crimes? International Court of Justice+1
In relation to the above questions, the Authority does not hold information. Information may be available from Police Scotland.
