Manchester, UK – A new wave of protests challenging the ban on Palestine Action is set to begin coinciding with the Labor Party’s annual conference. Defend Our Juries is urging supporters nationwide to display signs reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine action” in their front windows, mirroring slogans used at recent demonstrations.
The action follows a recent incident where a former Labour councillor,Keith Hackett,was informed by police he could legally display a similar poster privately. This comes after two major demonstrations organized by Defend our Juries in defiance of the ban.The group claims 1,500 people participated in the most recent exhibition last Saturday.
The ban on Palestine Action, announced by then home Secretary Yvette Cooper in June – though advice to proscribe the group dates back to March – followed the group’s claim of duty for a break-in at RAF Brize Norton.Cooper stated the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage” and posed a threat to national security.
Since the ban came into affect on July 5th, over 1,600 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act, surpassing the total number of arrests made under the same legislation since 2001 following the “war on terror.” While most have not been charged, seven individuals appeared in court last week accused of organizing the demonstrations. Notably, 532 arrests were made at a previous demonstration last month, with half of those arrested being aged 60 or above.
Opposition to the ban is growing, evidenced by a unanimous motion passed by the Trades Union Congress annual congress on Wednesday, calling for the government to repeal the proscription of Palestine Action. The president of the civil servants’ union described the ban as a “meaningful abuse of counter-terrorist powers and a direct attack on our right to protest against the genocidal Israeli regime.”
