CAMPAIGNERS say the policing of Palestine Action ban protests are in a mess after police forces in Totnes and Edinburgh chose not to arrest sign-holders under anti-terror legislation.

Eight people in Totnes and three in Edinburgh held signs on Saturday reading: “I oppose genocide: I support Palestine Action” as part of a national wave of protest organised by the Defend Our Juries campaign.

The protests, under the banner Lift The Ban, oppose Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s recent proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.

The protesters sat peacefully for about an hour without arrest.

More than 200 people have been previously detained for holding similarly worded signs since the ban came into force on July 5.

In Totnes, the sign-holders were joined by dozens more carrying their own banners alongside trade union flags and hundreds of supporters.

The crowd sang “Lift the ban, now, for Gaza” and speakers called on Ms Cooper to revoke the order.

Campaigners say the proscription has led to an inconsistent and chaotic policing response, including raids on the homes of more than a dozen peaceful protesters.

In Kent, one woman was reportedly threatened with arrest under the Terrorism Act for holding a Palestinian flag and a sign reading “Free Gaza.”

A Defend Our Juries statement said: “The chorus of disapproval for Yvette Cooper’s barmy order grows louder by the day.

“Devon & Cornwall Police were alerted to the demonstration in Totnes on Thursday, giving them plenty of time to prepare.

“But unlike some of their colleagues, they have exercised discretion to leave peaceful protesters be, the people defending our ancient liberties in a small, rural town.

“The real crime is not the protest, it’s the horrific genocide they are protesting against.”

Ruth Ben-Tovim, who held a sign in Totnes, said: “Resistance is lawful, resisting genocide is not wrong: it is a moral and legal obligation.

“Once ‘terrorism’ means ‘economic damage’ or ‘embarrassment,’ freedom of expression ceases to exist.

“We are just ordinary people, but we can’t be bystanders and ignore what is happening.

“We stand to show solidarity, to make visible the brutal implications of this law and to oppose our government’s role in genocide.”

Protests continued across Britain over the weekend. In Manchester, about 500 people marched and carried out “die-in” actions.