Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has suggested that some supporters of Palestine Action may be unaware of the group’s complete nature, following the mass arrest of over 500 individuals over the weekend.
In defending the proscription of the organisation, she emphasised that it is “not a non-violent organisation”.
The Home Secretary noted that tens of thousands have lawfully protested the “horrendous events” in Gaza without involvement from Palestine Action, which was banned last month under terror legislation.
Palestine Action has been granted permission to challenge the ban, with a hearing scheduled for November. Amnesty International has described the arrests as “deeply concerning”.
The proscription makes membership of or support for Palestine Action a criminal offense, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. It followed an estimated £7 million in damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton allegedly caused by the group’s followers.
On Saturday, hundreds of protestors simultaneously displayed placards in support of Palestine Action outside Parliament at 13:00 BST, resulting in 532 arrests.
The Home Secretary defended her decision to proscribe Palestine Action, stating the group has been “involved in violent attacks” and “major criminal damage against national security infrastructure”.
Speaking to the BBC, she said, “There may be people who are objecting to proscription who don’t know the full nature of this organisation, because of court restrictions on reporting while serious prosecutions are under way.”
“But it’s really important that no-one is in any doubt that this is not a non-violent organisation.”
Cooper added that “clear security assessments and advice” were considered prior to the ban.
Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International, suggested the response to the protest was disproportionate.
He stated, “We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified.”
When asked about a potential reconsideration of the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman stated that it was based on strong security advice.
He told journalists that Palestine Action was considered to have committed three separate terrorism acts by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, although he declined to elaborate on the specifics.
“Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice – following serious attacks the group has committed involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage,” he said, adding: “Whilst many people may not yet know the reality of the organisation – those assessments are very clear.”
The spokesman affirmed that the police carried out their duties “without fear or favor,” which he described as “a foundational principle of policing by consent”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned Israel he will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza”.
The move has been strongly criticised by Israel who said it “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism”.
The UN’s humanitarian agency said on Friday that the amount of aid entering Gaza continues to be “far below the minimum required to meet people’s immense needs”, and last month, UN-backed global food security experts warned the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out”.
Israel has continued to deny there is starvation in Gaza and has accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it.
Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, 61,430 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s military campaign, according to the health ministry.
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