Ban on Palestine Action would have ‘chilling effect’ on other protest groups | Protest

The crackdown on protest in England and Wales has been ringing alarm bells for years, however the choice to ban Palestine Motion below anti-terrorism legal guidelines raises the stakes dramatically.Because the group itself has stated, it’s the first time the federal government has tried to proscribe a direct motion protest organisation below the Terrorism Act, inserting it alongside the likes of Islamic State, al-Qaida and Nationwide Motion.The house secretary, Yvette Cooper, stated the proposed ban was evidence-based and had been assessed by a variety of consultants.“In a number of assaults, Palestine Motion has dedicated acts of great injury to property with the goal of progressing its political trigger and influencing the federal government,” she stated.Proscribing the group, which makes use of direct motion primarily to focus on Israeli weapons factories within the UK, would make it unlawful not solely to be a member of Palestine Motion however to point out assist for it.On condition that neither its strategies nor its targets are unprecedented, a ban is more likely to make each group which has an goal of “progressing its political trigger and influencing the federal government” by protest suppose twice.Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, Areeba Hamid, stated a ban would “mark a darkish flip for our democracy and a brand new low for a authorities already intent on stamping out the correct to protest. The police have already got legal guidelines to prosecute any people discovered responsible of a criminal offense.”Legal guidelines handed in recent times have already elevated police powers to limit and shut down protests. On the identical time, protesters have typically been gagged from telling juries what motivated their actions and have obtained file jail sentences.The ultimate straw for ministers seems to have been the embarrassing safety breach at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday, by which two Palestine Motion activists broke in and sprayed two navy planes with purple paint.However protesters have triggered legal injury to navy services prior to now and even been acquitted for it, whereas Cooper herself admitted it may not quantity to terrorism.Earlier than changing into prime minister, Keir Starmer efficiently defended protesters who broke into an RAF base in 2003 to cease US bombers heading to Iraq. He argued that it was lawful as a result of their intention was to forestall conflict crimes.Palestine Motion stated that pro-Israel teams had lobbied for the ban and there’s proof to assist that competition.Inside authorities paperwork launched below freedom of data legal guidelines have revealed conferences, apparently to debate Palestine Motion, between the federal government and Israeli embassy officers, though they have been closely redacted. Ministers have additionally met representatives from the Israeli arms agency Elbit Programs.The organisation We Consider in Israel, which Labour MP Luke Akehurst was once director of, started a marketing campaign this month to ban Palestine Motion.In an accompanying report, it said: “In July 2022, the group was investigated below counter-terrorism protocols following intelligence suggesting contact between a few of its members and people linked to Hamas-aligned networks overseas (see: Metropolitan Police briefing, categorised).“Whereas the investigation yielded no direct terror expenses, it underscored the diploma of concern shared by legislation enforcement businesses over Palestine Motion’s more and more radicalised behaviour.”It isn’t clear how or why We Consider in Israel was granted entry to categorised paperwork.There was no reference to hyperlinks to Hamas in Cooper’s assertion however she did seek advice from Palestine Motion as threatening infrastructure which helps Ukraine and Nato, echoing language in We Consider in Israel’s report.With the federal government already unpopular amongst many over its stance on Gaza, the deliberate ban dangers trying like it’s based mostly on Palestine Motion’s trigger quite than its strategies.Akiko Hart, Liberty director, stated: “Proscribing a direct-action protest group on this method probably units a brand new precedent for what we do and don’t deal with as terrorism.“We’re fearful in regards to the chilling impact this is able to have on the hundreds of people that marketing campaign for Palestine, and their capacity to precise themselves and participate in protests.“Proscribing Palestine Motion would imply that exhibiting assist for them in any method – for instance, sharing a put up on social media or sporting a emblem – might carry a jail sentence.”