UK police have arrested 41 people at a protest in London’s Parliament Square, where demonstrators gathered to call for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted. The protest was part of a series of demonstrations across the UK, with supporters of the group holding placards that read “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
This latest demonstration follows last week’s detention of 29 people, including a priest and health professionals, who had gathered at Parliament Square after a last-ditch legal bid to stop the group from being proscribed under “anti-terrorism” legislation failed.
The ban, which cleared Parliament in early July, was passed after activists broke into a military base last month and sprayed red paint on two planes in protest at the UK’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Palestine Action has been designated as a terrorist group, making it a criminal offense to support or be part of the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. According to Manaal Siddiqui, a spokesperson for Palestine Action, the group uses “disruptive tactics” to target “corporate enablers” and companies involved in weapons manufacture for Israel.
The group’s actions have raised fears about freedom of expression in the country, with opponents arguing that using “anti-terrorism” law is inappropriate against a group focused on civil disobedience.
Defend Our Juries, a campaign group that had announced rallies in several UK cities, called the ban “Orwellian”. “Who do the police think they are serving in this?” challenged a spokesperson. Arrests were also reported in Manchester, Cardiff, and Northern Ireland, although police have not confirmed these.
Palestine Action was launched in July 2020 and has targeted companies such as Elbit Systems and Thales, which it accuses of supplying arms to Israel. The British government has accused the group of causing millions of pounds of damage through its actions. In a statement, London’s Metropolitan Police said, “Officers have made 41 arrests for showing support for a proscribed organisation. One person has been arrested for common assault.”
The UK government’s decision to ban Palestine Action has sparked criticism from human rights organisations, with Amnesty International UK saying that the UK has an “overly broad definition of terrorism” and proscribing a direct-action protest group like Palestine Action risks an “unlawful interference with the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly”. Siddiqui said it was unprecedented for Palestine Action to face the ban, adding that it’s a “Draconian approach for the government to stifle protests that they just don’t like”.