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Novara Media counts 'almost 200' people defying the Palestine Action ban in Liverpool; The Independent's headline says 'hundreds' and leads with two arrests

Supporters of the banned group Palestine Action held signs outside Labour's conference on its opening day in Liverpool. The two outlets we hold disagree on the size of the crowd and on what the news was. Neither report we hold says what the police did.

Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference
Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference as published by Novara Media · seen at Novara Media
Anglosphere United Kingdom

What happened. On Sunday 27 September, people gathered outside the Labour conference in Liverpool on its opening day. Novara Media reports that they held signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action". The government has banned the group as a terrorist organisation.

How big. Both outlets' headlines say "hundreds". Only Novara Media gives a count in its text, and that count is "almost 200 people". The Independent's report gives no figure in the text we hold.

What leads. The Independent's headline opens with "Two arrested". Novara Media's opens with the defiance.

Novara Media The Independent
Headline crowd "Hundreds" "hundreds"
Count in the text "Almost 200 people" none
Arrests text breaks off mid-sentence "Two arrested", headline only
Sign wording quoted in full not quoted
First published (UTC) 16:05 13:54

What is not settled. - The arrests. Only one outlet reports them, and only in a headline. We do not hold who was arrested, when, or under which law. - The police. Novara Media's text stops as it starts to say what Merseyside Police had done after two hours. - The count. Nobody we hold says who counted, or when. We hold no police figure and no organisers' figure. - Other outlets. We hold no other report on the protest.

What this is about. People broke a terrorism ban in public, outside the governing party's conference, to test whether the ban can be enforced.

How it got here. Palestine Action is a British direct-action group founded in 2020. It campaigned against Israel's war in Gaza and the arms trade that supplies it. Its main targets were UK sites of Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence company. Its members broke into and damaged property there. Israel's war in Gaza followed the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of 7 October 2023. In June 2025, activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed paint on military aircraft. In July 2025, the Labour government banned Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000, and Parliament approved the ban. It was the first time a direct-action protest group had been banned in the same way as armed groups. Since then it has been a crime to belong to the group or to show support for it, including by holding a sign. Campaigners answered with sign-holding protests like this one, and the police arrested people at them. The group's co-founder has challenged the ban in the courts.

Who is involved. The government, which says the ban is needed against serious damage to property. The protesters, who say it treats protest as terrorism. The police, who must enforce it on the street; in Liverpool that is Merseyside Police. And the Labour Party. Its conference opened in Liverpool on Sunday. Novara Media reports it is Andy Burnham's first as prime minister.

What is at stake. If mass arrests go on, the police and courts will be taking in large numbers of people accused of terrorism offences over a sign. If the police hold back, the ban is harder to defend. Either way, the question is whether it stays.

Where it stands. The ban is in force. We do not hold what the police did on Sunday beyond one headline's report of two arrests.

What is being argued about

  • Whether 'almost 200' and 'hundreds' describe the same crowd
  • Two arrests reported in one headline and nowhere in the text we hold
  • Holding a sign as a terrorism offence
  • Protest outside the governing party's conference
One protest, two accountsSide by side
OutletHeadline saysText saysLeads withSigns quoted?
Novara Media"Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban""Almost 200 people"The defianceYes, in full
The Independent"Two arrested as hundreds gather"No figureThe arrestsNo
The Independent (second report)"Pro-Palestine Action protest staged outside Labour conference"Headline onlyThe protestNo
We hold three reports from two outlets. For one of The Independent's reports we hold only the headline.
Sources N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Pro-Palestine Action protest staged outside Labour conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
When each report appeared, 27 SeptemberTimeline
  1. 2026-09-2713:54 publication time of the report The Independent Headline reports two arrests as hundreds gather 2 arrestedNo count in the text
  2. 2026-09-2715:02 publication time of the report The Independent Second report: protest staged outside Labour conferenceWe hold the headline only
  3. 2026-09-2716:05 publication time of the report Novara Media Almost 200 defy the ban holding signs almost 200Text breaks off on what police had done two hours in
Times are when each report was published, in UTC. Liverpool was one hour ahead.
Sources The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Pro-Palestine Action protest staged outside Labour conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias

Almost 200, or hundreds

One report counts almost 200 people. Another's headline says hundreds. For a third, we hold only the headline.

1 reports giving a number 1 reports saying hundreds 1 reports we hold only as a headline
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Pro-Palestine Action protest staged outside Labour conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Claims and verdicts

misleading Hundreds of people gathered outside the Labour conference in Liverpool to defy the ban on Palestine Action.
Headlines from Novara Media and The Independent both say 'hundreds', but the only count in the text is Novara Media's 'almost 200'. The Independent report we hold gives no figure in its body.
Checked against 2 sources:
N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified Two people were arrested at the protest.
Only The Independent reports two arrests, and only in a headline. The Novara Media text we hold breaks off just as it starts to describe what Merseyside Police had done.
Checked against 2 sources:
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
unverified Protesters held signs reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action'.
Novara Media is the only outlet that describes the wording on the signs. The Independent reports we hold do not quote the wording.
Checked against 1 source:
N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →

Who wrote it

H Harriet Williamson Novara Media
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Crowd size almost 200×1
Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'.×1
Headline vs body headline says hundreds, body says almost 200×1
Protesters voice protesters' sign quoted in full×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 misleading3 unverified1 true
From 21 reports we hold under this byline, at Novara Media. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
A Alan Jones The Independent · 2 reports on this story
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Crowd size The headline says 'hundreds' and leads with the two arrests.×1
Lead fact arrests lead the headline, ahead of the crowd×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
1 misleading1 unverified
From 23 reports we hold under this byline, at The Independent. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

N Novara Media
Left estimate · not a score
Novara Media 🇬🇧UK · digital · Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at Novara Media → What we have measured Asserted versus attributed States the 'first' claim as fact, with no source given ×1Crowd size Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. ×1Crowd size almost 200 ×1"first" claim stated flat the claim to be first is not attributed to anyone ×1 from 196 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → —
Novara Media gives the only count in the text we hold, 'almost 200 people', and the only quotation of the signs. Its text stops just as it starts to say what Merseyside Police had done.
Almost 200 people gathered outside Andy Burnham’s first Labour party conference as prime minister to defy the ban on Palestine Action by holding signs that read “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. Two hours into the demonstration on Sunday 27 September – the opening day of the conference in Liverpool – Merseyside police had […]
Crowd size: Gives a specific number, 'almost 200'. — “Almost 200 people gathered outside Andy Burnham’s first Labour party conference”
Protester voice in lede: Puts the protesters' own placard text in the first sentence. No police or government voice appears in the part we hold. — “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”
Headline vs body: headline says hundreds, body says almost 200 — “Hundreds Defy Palestine Action Ban at Burnham’s First Labour Conference”
Crowd size: almost 200 — “Almost 200 people gathered outside Andy Burnham’s first Labour party conference”
Protesters voice: protesters' sign quoted in full — ““I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action””
Read it at Novara Media → https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/27/hundreds-defy-palestine-action-ban-a…
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Pro-Palestine Action protest staged outside Labour conference Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/labour-conference-pro-pales…
The Independent
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Independent 🇬🇧UK · digital · independent Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest Open this report in The AI Times → Read it at The Independent → What we have measured Accused party response Russia's side is reported as no comment. ×1A company statement about itself, taken as a "reveals" rather than "says", for a company's account of its own product ×1A count stated flat four crimes is given as a settled number in the headline, with no court, charge or jurisdiction attached ×1Actor named No actor named for the cut-short or for the clashes ×1 from 20313 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → — independent
The Independent is the only outlet to report arrests. Its headline says two, and it was the first report we hold on the protest.
News UK Crime Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest The protest coincided with the start of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool Alan Jones Sunday 27 September 2026 14:54 BST Bookmark Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks Close popover open image in gallery A campaigner is removed by police (Reuters) Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Join today Already a member? Log in For free real time bre
Crowd size: The headline says 'hundreds' and leads with the two arrests. — “Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest”
Lead fact: arrests lead the headline, ahead of the crowd — “Two arrested as hundreds gather outside Labour conference to stage pro-Palestine Action protest”
Read it at The Independent → https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/palestine-action-protest-la…
Checked, didn’t cover
T The Irish Times
Centre estimate · not a score
The Irish Times 🇮🇪IE · digital · No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1 from 1358 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RNZ
Centre estimate · not a score
RNZ 🇳🇿NZ · digital · PUBLIC No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Headline against body headline claims a 20-year decline reversed; the first line of the body reports a new low in reading ×1Headline against body headline claims a turnaround; the text carries a record low and puts it on boys ×1 from 2328 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → R RTÉ News
Centre estimate · not a score
RTÉ News 🇮🇪IE · digital · PUBLIC No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1 from 2361 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → ABC News (Australia)
Centre estimate · not a score
ABC News (Australia) 🇦🇺AU · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor label and hedge The same man is called 'far-right' and named by his legal name. The act is hedged with 'allegedly', where the longer report states it flat. ×1A different count, stated flat one dead and 140 missing, unattributed, earliest of the four ×1Affected counted The only report to count the local people affected ×1Are the dead named one of the dead named, through a relative at the hospital ×1 from 4667 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Guardian
Centre-left estimate · not a score
The Guardian 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1 from 10552 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → C CBC News
Centre-left estimate · not a score
CBC News 🇨🇦CA · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Asserted vs attributed the measure is attributed to the three governments; the territory is called occupied in the outlet's own voice ×1Attribution kept in the headline the sourcing travels with the claim into the headline ×1Figure rounded in the headline more than 600 in the headline; the body sources it to a flight-tracking site ×1How the sourcing is hedged the claim is hedged to an unnamed newspaper in both headline and body; the reporting is not held by this report ×1 from 2730 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.
We could not read these
BBC News
Centre estimate · not a score
BBC News 🇬🇧UK · public broadcaster · public-service No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1 from 473 articles we hold · quote attached Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Daily Telegraph
Right estimate · not a score
The Daily Telegraph 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Nothing scored yet. We do not carry a rating for any outlet — only what we have measured from published text. Outlet profile in The AI Times → The Times
Centre-right estimate · not a score
The Times 🇬🇧UK · newspaper · independent No report held from this outlet on this story. What we have measured Nothing scored yet. We do not carry a rating for any outlet — only what we have measured from published text. Outlet profile in The AI Times →
These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and it is not evidence of anything about this story.

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