Exclusive: UK parliament accused of confiscating pro-Palestine material

British parliamentary authorities have been accused of confiscating pro-Palestinian symbols and leaflets, Middle East Eye has learnt. 

John Kelly, secretary of the Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine (LDFP) group, told Middle East Eye he had a badge that read, "Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine" confiscated when he tried to enter parliament on Monday 24 November.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International UK also said it had "documents highlighting Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza" removed by security guards at Britain's parliament. 

Kelly said the incident occurred at the Cromwell Green entrance to the House of Commons. The LDFP is affiliated to the Liberal Democrats, the third largest party in parliament.

"In my jacket pocket I had a badge saying Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine," he said. "The scanner picked this up and it was removed from the pocket and confiscated. I was given a receipt and told to collect it when I left parliament."

Kelly added: "I was told this was an instruction from the Serjeant at Arms [the official responsible for security in the House of Commons] not to allow any badges that mentioned Palestine.

'I asked if the badge would have been okay if it said Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel. Yes, he said, Israel is not controversial!'

- John Kelly, LDFP

"I pointed out to the person in charge that the Lib Dems were the third largest party in parliament and we are an affiliated organisation of the party. I asked if he knew that Palestine was now recognised as a state by the British government. He seemed unaware," he said.

"I asked if the badge would have been okay if it said Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel. Yes, he said, Israel is not controversial!"

LDFP chair Anne-Marie Simpson told MEE: "Our members should not be penalised for displaying the name of an affiliated Liberal Democrat organisation.

"The continued confiscation of Palestine-related materials, even after assurances to the contrary, raises serious concerns about impartiality and freedom of expression within parliament."

Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece, a Liberal Democrat peer and honorary president of LDFP, told MEE: "These repeated incidents expose a disturbing pattern of discrimination. Parliament must act urgently to ensure that pro-Palestinian perspectives are treated with the same respect as any other."

'An act of direct discrimination'

In a letter sent on 27 November to Alison Giles, the director of security at the UK parliament, and seen by MEE, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) quoted Kelly's account.

It further said it had been "informed of other incidents where similar undue scrutiny is exercised upon individuals displaying pro-Palestinian symbols and/or clothing."

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The ICJP argued: "In light of the UK’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine in September 2025, this demonstrates not only a concerning precedent for Parliamentary security, but also amounts to an act of direct discrimination pursuant to section 10 Equality Act 2010."

In a letter responding to the ICJP on Monday 1 December, seen by MEE, Giles said there "is no policy prohibiting references to Palestine.

"In this case, staff believed that the wording on the item constituted a campaign slogan and could potentially be used as part of a demonstration inside Parliament."

Giles added: "I understand that the badge referenced
'Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine'. In the moment, this was not recognised as the name of an organisation, and was instead understood as a general campaigning message. 

"I am satisfied that staff were attempting to apply existing rules in good faith, but I acknowledge that clearer recognition and explanation would have avoided misunderstanding."

Giles also said the security staff on duty that day "do not recognise" the alleged comment that the badge would have been permitted if it referred to the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel.

'Too political' and 'controversial'

Amnesty International UK said that on Wednesday 3 December "parliamentary security removed Amnesty’s documents highlighting Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, along with materials calling for the UK to protect Hongkongers from Chinese and Hong Kong authorities’ surveillance".

This allegedly occurred ahead of an Amnesty reception in parliament. 

The group said the policy documents were confiscated because they were deemed "too political" and "controversial".

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The documents included calls to "end Israeli apartheid" and "ban Israeli settlement goods".

A UK parliament spokesperson said: "We recognise the importance of democratic access to the Houses of Parliament and facilitate the visits of thousands of people to the estate each week.

"Security staff and officers work within publicly available guidance to decide on what items may be brought onto the estate, and we welcome feedback from visitors on their experiences to help us make improvements to our services.

 "Political or slogan materials, including items that could be used for campaigning, are restricted and may be held at the point of entry for collection on departure."

On Monday, the ICJP said parliamentary security officials should clarify what steps they are taking to address "anti-Palestine security measures in parliament, whether by policy or by practice, that have resulted in the censorship of dissenting views".

Jonathan Purcell, the ICJP’s head of public affairs and communications, said: "The word parliament literally means to speak.

"And yet, pro-Palestinian campaigners are being gagged by parliamentary security, who have confiscated pro-Palestinian symbols and briefings.

"Whether by policy or practice, the outcome is the same - a seemingly systematic silencing of pro-Palestinian campaigners, that goes against the very principles that parliament is founded on."