More than 500 writers, actors and musicians — including Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan and Brian Eno — have asked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to abandon plans to proscribe the protest group Palestine Action. In an open letter organised by Fossil Free Books and Artists for Palestine UK, the signatories warn that banning the group would undermine “the very principle of freedom of expression” and mischaracterise civil disobedience as terrorism. Cooper intends to lay a draft proscription order before Parliament this week under the Terrorism Act 2000. If approved, membership of or support for Palestine Action would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The Home Office move follows a 20 June break-in at RAF Brize Norton in which activists damaged two aircraft used in Middle East operations. Parallel pressure is building in Spain, where more than 1,000 cultural figures — among them actors Luis Tosar and María Botto — have urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to impose an immediate, comprehensive arms embargo on Israel. Their letter argues that continuing weapons sales makes Spain an “active accomplice” to alleged war crimes and violates both international and domestic law. Sánchez has signalled work on embargo legislation, while Starmer’s government says proscription is needed to protect national security. The twin interventions highlight growing mobilisation within Europe’s cultural sector against official policies on Israel’s offensive in Gaza.