‘Heroes in Prison’ – Activists imprison Westminster statues as ‘terrorists’ to highlight crackdown on protest

This morning a team of Greenpeace activists installed prison bars around three iconic statues in Parliament Square to highlight the government’s apparent desire to cast protesters as criminals and terrorists. 

The activists imprisoned statues of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and the Suffragist Millicent Fawcett – all famous protesters who helped end injustice and secure democratic freedoms. But despite being celebrated as heroes at the heart of Westminster, they could fall foul of the government’s anti-protest laws and be branded as criminals if they were still protesting today.

It comes as analysis by Greenpeace shows that of all the arrests made under the Terrorism Act since it came into force 24 years ago, almost half of them (2,100 out of 4,322) occurred in the last four months, and targeted people holding signs at silent vigils against the proscription of Palestine Action. The Greenpeace analysis also showed that the Crown Prosecution Service has charged more people (144) with terror-related offences in just two months of 2025 than in any entire year since 2001, including the years of the 7/7 bombings and the Westminster, London Bridge and Manchester Arena attacks.

Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales said: “Calling peaceful protesters ‘terrorists’ is one of the most blatantly ridiculous and dangerous things this government has done. Nelson Mandela was jailed for fighting apartheid, this lot would’ve called him a national security threat. When we criminalise protest, we don’t just attack activists. We attack democracy itself.”

The activists descended on the square at 8:45am and installed wooden bars around the statues, modelled on those used in UK prisons. The operation was carefully designed and rehearsed to ensure that no harm was caused to any of the monuments. They also installed a number of signs saying: ‘Protest is not a crime’ dotted around the square. 

Today’s installation is a protest against the government’s increasingly authoritarian crackdown on protest, implemented through the proscription of Palestine Action, new powers for police to clamp down on protesters, and yet another review of the policing of protest promising even more restrictions.

Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: “If these people were protesting today, this government would not hesitate to arrest them. We’ve put Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Millicent Fawcett behind bars to remind people of everything protest has given us – freedom, equality and democracy. But this government wants you to see protesters as terrorists. In the last few months thousands of peaceful protesters have been arrested under the Terrorism Act, right here in front of these heroes. Meanwhile, on the other side of the square, Parliament is debating even more draconian laws to remove more of our rights. This should worry us all, the right to protest and make our voice heard is what makes a democracy, and it’s being taken away.” 

Building on anti-protest laws brought in by the last government, the Labour government is attempting to introduce even more powers in the Crime and Policing Bill. These would enable police to ban protests near churches and religious buildings – essentially powers to restrict protest in any urban area – and to ban face coverings at protests – even for religious or health reasons. The Crime and Policing Bill is currently making its way through the House of Lords, with committee stage beginning 10 November.

The government plans to introduce new police powers to ban repeat protests based on their ‘cumulative impact’. The ‘cumulative impact’ of repeated disruptive protests by Fawcett, Gandhi, Mandela and the movements they led were votes for women in the UK, an independent India, and the end of Apartheid in South Africa.

Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norwich South, said: “From Emily Davison to Rosa Parks, history shows that society often only recognises its heroes in the rear-view mirror. By crushing what little right to protest remains, this government isn’t keeping order, it’s silencing tomorrow’s heroes before they can even speak. The right to protest is how ordinary people hold the powerful to account, expose injustice, and demand a better world. Strip that away, and you strip away democracy itself. We have to stand together and resist this slide into authoritarianism, because once protest is gone, power answers to no one.”

Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said: 

“Protest, by its very nature, is meant to be disruptive. That’s often what makes it effective, winning important change throughout history.

“Giving the police powers to ban repeat protests would allow authorities to stifle dissent arbitrarily. With the prospect of a far-right government on the horizon, this is especially concerning.

“No one should have that kind of unchecked power in a democracy. The Home Secretary must rethink this course of action before it is too late.” 

Baroness Jenny Jones of the Green Party of England and Wales said: 

“Protest is a fundamental right in a democracy. It can be noisy, inconvenient, disruptive, but it is still precious as a way to defend ourselves against Government censorship aiming to silence opposition to unpopular policies. Our government has been bringing in more and more repressive authoritarian legislation. That is deeply unhealthy for us all. Protests are vital.”

Parliament Square has been the main location for a series of silent vigils opposing the proscription of Palestine Action – a direct action protest group targeting the Israeli arms industry in the UK. Proscription means that showing support for Palestine Action is an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000. Since July, there have been at least 2,100 arrests under section 13 of the act which relates to displaying or publishing articles or images in support of a proscribed organisation. 

Greenpeace campaigns using a wide variety of protest tactics have led to the end of coal and fracking and the introduction of offshore wind in the UK, as well as worldwide bans on whaling and nuclear testing, and a Global Oceans Treaty protecting the high seas. 

ENDS

Contact

To arrange an interview with a Greenpeace spokesperson, contact the Greenpeace UK Press Office – press.uk@greenpeace.org or 07896 893 154.

Notes

Photo and video available here.

The calculation of arrests was made by comparing media reports which say there have been at least 2,100 terror-related arrests at rallies since Palestine Action was proscribed on 5 July 2025, with official annual data from Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters Coordination Centre. These (page A.01) show that 2,222 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act from 11 September 2001 until 31 March 2025. The Terrorism Act came into force in February 2001. 

Data from the Crown Prosecution Service (here and here) shows that at least 144 people have been charged with offences under the Terrorism Act at Palestine Action rallies between 5 July and 5 September 2025. Data from CTPHQ (page A.04) show the highest number of people charged in any full year since 2001 was 134 people in 2018.

More detail about the cumulative impact of Greenpeace protests can be found here: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/about-greenpeace/victories/