"UK Government Takes Extreme Measures: Banning Palestine Action, Sparking Intense Opposition"
The UK Home Secretary's recent announcement to proscribe the direct-action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation has ignited a storm of condemnation and solidarity across the country.
The move has been denounced by over 14 pro-Palestine organisations, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Friends of Al-Aqsa, and the Jewish Network for Palestine, who view it as an attempt to "criminalise conscience" and repress dissent. These organisations have pledged to resist the repression and stand in solidarity with Palestine Action.
The announcement has also sparked a groundswell of public solidarity, with more than 300 artists, writers, and academics, including Ken Loach, Lowkey, and Ahdaf Soueif, signing an open letter condemning the proscription attempt.
Several trade unions, including branches of Unite, NEU, and PCS, have passed emergency motions in support of the group, warning that the government's actions threaten the right to organize and protest across the UK. Legal experts have expressed similar concerns, stating that using anti-terror laws to criminalise direct action could have profound consequences for protest in the UK, potentially bypassing protections under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Through tactics such as occupations, factory shutdowns, and site blockades, Palestine Action has forced the closure of two Elbit sites and brought unprecedented scrutiny to UK-Israel arms deals. The group's primary target has been Elbit Systems, Israel's largest weapons manufacturer, which operates multiple facilities in the UK.
If proscription succeeds, fundraising itself may become a criminal act. The push to proscribe Palestine Action appears to be heavily influenced by lobbying efforts from pro-Israel groups. If passed by Parliament, the order would criminalise support, membership, and expressions of solidarity with the group.
A petition to halt the proscription reached over 100,000 signatures in just three days, triggering national debate. Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, has condemned the move to proscribe Palestine Action as "absurd and authoritarian," calling it an attempt by the government to hide its own complicity in war crimes. He, along with MP Zarah Sultana, has stressed that if Palestine Action is proscribed for resisting war crimes, then none of us are safe.
Gareth Peirce of Birnberg Peirce Solicitors has been instructed to lead the legal battle to stop the proscription of Palestine Action. A fundraising campaign has been launched to raise £100,000 to support this legal challenge.
In cities from London to Glasgow, solidarity rallies, teach-ins, and emergency fundraisers have been launched. The true violence, according to many, lies not in protest but in the bombardment of civilians in Gaza, aided by British-made weapons. Far from being deterred, Palestine Action has vowed to continue its campaign against UK arms exports to Israel, regardless of legal threats.
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