British citizens, Palestine Action suspects: claiming political asylum in Australia

On 5 July 2025, the British Government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group.

On 2 August 2025, an Australian judge in Sydney authorized the Palestine Action Group to march across one of our most iconic landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Thousands of brave police had to be mobilized at the last minute to protect the public from what the British perceive to be terrorism.

In the UK, over 2,500 members of the public were arrested so far for supporting the terrorist group. The Australian police were able to minimize the cost to taxpayers by shutting down the march with a text message.

In UK jails, supporters of the terrorist group are now on hunger strike, with an imminent risk of death.

This creates an interesting opportunity for an arbitrage trade: when the UK and Australian justice officials have diverged so dramatically, banning a group in the UK while explicitly authorizing them in an Australian judgment, there is a legal right for people to claim political asylum.

While the first British settlers arrived on boats in 1788, this practice is now banned. Asylum seekers arriving by boat are typically placed in detention.

Asylum seekers who arrive on a tourist visa are not subject to the mandatory detention scheme. Any British citizen who arrives on a tourist visa and decides to file their asylum claim after being allowed through the passport controls will be allowed to stay in Australia for as long as it takes for Australia to evaluate their case. Obviously, Australia will not be able to send people back to the UK as long as the hunger strike is in progress.

Whether we like it or not, the fact that an Australian judge has authorized Palestine Action sends a green light to anybody who feels they are persecuted for supporting the group in the UK.

If people disagree with that, Australia will need to ban all British visitors or make some other changes to asylum law to prevent people exploiting the situation.

With the UK in a big freeze right now, the Palestine Action message has found new ways to get out. British authorities are warming up a jail cell for whoever keeps doing this:

 

Read more about political asylum.