Chiswick Historian Charged over Palestine Action Support
Caroline Finkel was arrested for offence at central London protest
Caroline Finkel. Picture: Hachette
August 28, 2025
A Chiswick-based historian is one of 64 people who are to face charges of showing support for the proscribed group Palestine Action.
73-year-old Caroline Finkel is to appear in court in October for an offence under section 13 of the Terrorism Act, 2000 relating to actions that allegedly took place on Saturday 12 July when she was arrested at a protest in central London.
She was sent a postal charge requisition by police officers working for the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command after the charges against her were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Friday 15 August.
Caroline Finkel specialises in Ottoman history and holds a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Much of her research was done during an extended period when she lived and worked in Türkiye.
She is best known for her book Osman’s Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire 1300–1923, published in 2005 and still regarded as a key reference for the subject. It offers a comprehensive account of the rise, expansion, and eventual dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, and has been translated into multiple languages including Turkish, Greek, Dutch, and Russian. She has also written travel books including co-authoring a guidebook for the Evliya Çelebi Way, Turkey’s first long-distance equestrian, hiking, and biking route, inspired by the 17th-century Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi.
Dr Finkel did not wish to comment on the charge against her other than to say she was disappointed that her MP had chosen to vote in support of the proscription of Palestine Acton.
The group has carried out direct action against a number of sites connected to the military and arms production which it claims are complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza. The Home Office has stated that the decision to ban the group was based on a “robust evidence-based process”.
If found guilty, Dr Finkel a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment and convictions under the Terrorism Act may restrict a person’s ability to travel to many countries including the US, Australia, Japan, and from 2026, when the ETIAS system is introduced, countries of the European Union.
Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said, “The notion that by coming out and showing support towards a proscribed terrorist group will overwhelm us is completely misguided. The reality for those who have carried out this action is that they are now facing serious charges under the Terrorism Act. If convicted of such an offence, it can have a severe impact on your life or career, potentially restricting your ability to travel overseas or work in certain professions.
“My message to anyone thinking about carrying out similar action in the coming weeks is to reconsider. Thousands continue to attend protests where they freely express their views in support of Palestine, without breaking counter terrorism laws. But where we do see offences, people will very likely be arrested and will certainly be swiftly investigated, working closely with the CPS to bring about prosecutions.”
The most authoritative denunciation of the charges brought against individuals for showing support for Palestine Action has come from Amnesty International UK. This month Amnesty launched a global “Urgent Action” campaign—a rare and high-level intervention—calling on UK prosecutors to drop terrorism-related charges against peaceful protesters.
Amnesty’s Chief Executive, Sacha Deshmukh, described the charges as “entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity,” arguing that peaceful protest and expressions of solidarity do not meet the legal threshold for criminalisation under international human rights law. The campaign includes letters addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, the Lord Advocate of Scotland, and the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland, urging them to halt prosecutions and uphold the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
This marks the first time the UK has been the subject of a global Amnesty Urgent Action focused on protest rights.
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