- ‘If they start banning one group, they’re going to continue banning all of them, and soon they’re going to try and stop us from protesting,’ says London protester Katy
- ‘It’s a disgrace on the Labour government, a disgrace on this country, and a disgrace on humanity,’ says Irish activist Niall O’Connor
LONDON
As the UK inches closer to imposing a ban on protest group Palestine Action, the escalation has sent chills down the spines of British activists.
Lawmakers on Wednesday voted to ban the UK-based group, which is known for its non-violent direct actions against British participation in Israel’s weapons trade. The move would classify the unarmed group as a terrorist organization, placing it in the same legal category as al-Qaeda and ISIS (Daesh).
“They’re trying their best to silence us,” Katy, an activist, told Anadolu at a pro-Palestine march in London. “If they start banning one group, they’re going to continue banning all of them, and soon they’re going to try and stop us from protesting.”
A legal challenge to the ban is being heard at the High Court in London on Friday. If the challenge fails, it will become a criminal offense to belong to or publicly support Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever come across where it’s legal to support genocide and illegal to oppose it,” said Irish activist Niall O’Connor at the same protest.
“It’s a disgrace on the Labour government, a disgrace on this country, and a disgrace on humanity.”
He said the ban is further evidence that governments fear those who “stand up and say no.”
‘Unprecedented legal overreach’
Outrage over the move has extended beyond street protests.
On Tuesday, several UN experts urged the UK not to proceed with the ban, warning of its dangerous implications.
“We are concerned at the unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as ‘terrorist,’” the experts said. “According to international standards, acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism.”
Amnesty International called the move “an unprecedented legal overreach,” warning that the UK “has a deeply flawed and overly broad definition of terrorism.”
“Terrorism legislation hands the authorities massive powers to arrest and detain people, suppress speech and reporting, conduct surveillance and take other measures that would never be permitted in other circumstances,” Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh said.
“Using them against a direct-action protest group is an egregious abuse of what they were created for.”
More than 400 cultural figures – including musicians Brian Eno, Paul Weller, and Reggie Watts – also signed a public letter urging the UK government to reverse the decision and “stop arming Israel.”
“Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide. It is acting to save life. We deplore the government’s decision,” the letter read.
What did Palestine Action do?
Despite the international warnings, British lawmakers voted by an overwhelming margin – 385 to 26 – to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group.
The decision followed one of the group’s most high-profile actions: activists entered RAF Brize Norton, the UK’s largest airbase, where they sprayed red paint over the turbine engines of two aircraft, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.5 million) in damage, according to police.
The group claims the aircraft had been used to refuel Israeli fighter jets. Four young activists are now facing criminal charges.
Since its founding in 2020, Palestine Action has carried out hundreds of actions, many of which have targeted the Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. Its tactics include breaking into facilities, vandalizing property, and blocking entrances.
“We won’t spend our time defending ourselves against every smear,” the group said on social media after the Parliamentary debate.
“Those who support us know the truth: we’re breaking the tools used to commit genocide, which the state is working to protect.”
Palestine Action has vowed to continue challenging the ban through the courts, regardless of whether it wins interim relief on Friday.
‘They protest in a different way’
Brenda, another protester at the London march, told Anadolu she does not object to Palestine Action’s approach.
“They’re not a terrorist organization. They’re protesting. We’re all protesting today, and they protest in a different way,” she said.
While she questioned the wisdom of breaking into an airbase, she added: “It makes us wonder what our security is like if Palestine Action could get in there and spray-paint a plane.”
James, another demonstrator, warned that the ban is part of a broader crackdown on pro-Palestine activism.
“I think the government’s been waiting for an opportunity to ban these (pro-Palestine) marches, and I think they will do it through the protest groups,” he said.
He expressed his concern that the UK’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign, one of Europe’s largest Palestinian rights organizations, will be next.
Still, James and other protesters see the ban as a call to action.
He believes lobbyists and politicians have been trying to stop the protests since Israel’s offensive on Gaza began in October 2023. “But the more people that come along, the less likely they’ll be able to achieve that,” he said.