Roger Waters reported to counter-terror police over Palestine Action support

The musician Roger Waters has been reported to counter-terrorism police over his public support for Palestine Action after the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation, with the former Pink Floyd songwriter seeking to “declare independence” from the British government.

In a video posted on Saturday 5 July – after the proscription of Palestine Action had come into effect, Waters posted a video on his social media featuring a sign, which he also read out, stating that “Roger Waters supports Palestine Action 5th July 2025. Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power. Stand up and be counted it’s now”.

Elsewhere in the video Waters incorrectly claims that Palestine Action is a “non-violent protesting organisation”, describing it as “absolutely not terrorist in any way”, and saying “I support Palestine Action. And I always will because that is the right thing to do.”

Members of Palestine Action have in fact been charged with assault, including during an incident last August, when a police officer responding to a break-in by the group was hospitalised after reportedly being attacked with a sledgehammer.

The group was proscribed after some of its members infiltrated an RAF base last month, damaging two military aircraft. Further video footage of a Palestine Action meeting suggested the group’s intention to target further RAF bases. While the group has often focused specifically on a particular Israeli defence firm, Elbit, it has also attacked Jewish charities linked to Israel. In May, members of the group also targeted a Jewish business in the heart of Stamford Hill, with Palestine Action subsequently claiming that the business had leased a property to an Israeli defence firm.

The UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) organization confirmed that it had reported Waters to counter-terrorism police, alleging that the musician had breached multiple sections of the Terrorism Act of 2000, and making clear that even if he was outside the UK when he posted the video, such provisions would apply to him as a British citizen.

Caroline Turner, director of UKLFI, said: “Palestine Action have been anything but a non-violent organisation, using sledgehammers to smash windows and machinery, and causing millions of pounds of damage over the past few years in order to intimidate the public and certain companies, and to advance their own ideological cause.  Their activities fell squarely within the definition of Terrorism under the Act. We hope that the police will act in this case and investigate Mr Water’s ill-judged words and actions.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has also made it clear that it has viewed the post by Waters, and is “ready to privately prosecute offenders in instances where an offence has been made out and the authorities fail to act.”

As per the law, proscription makes it a criminal offence to belong to a proscribed organisation, invite support or recklessly express support for it, arrange a meeting in support of it, wear clothing or carry articles in public which arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of that organisation, or
publish an image such as a flag or logo in the same circumstances.