Hundreds of academics and lawyers urge Burnham to lift Palestine Action ban

Hundreds of academics and lawyers urge Burnham to lift Palestine Action ban Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 13:51 Letter also urges British prime minister to end UK's military cooperation with Israel Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaks during the Coalition of the Willing meeting, in Kyiv on 24 August 2026 (AFP) Off More than 250 academics and lawyers have written to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to end military cooperation with Israel and de-proscribe direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. The letter, dated 25 August and seen by Middle East Eye, was signed by prominent figures including barrister Michael Mansfield, Oxford historian Avi Shlaim, Defend Our Juries co-founder Tim Crosland and Exeter University academic Laleh Khalili. "Despite Israel’s ongoing perpetration of flagrant war crimes, the UK government continues to provide it with military, economic and diplomatic support," the letter reads.