Thousands of people are demanding that the ban on Palestine Action be lifted in a campaign unfolding across the country.
Approximately 2,000 activists have been arrested across the UK for silently and peacefully protesting the addition of Palestine Action to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations (See also International Law Blog). The group accuses the Government of complicity in the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza.
This morning, outside the Ministry of Justice, we witnessed the detention of several people who were demonstrating with cardboard signs against the genocide, while demanding their right to resist, to protest, and to defend freedom of expression and democracy.
This action is part of the “Lift the Ban” campaign, taking place from November 18 to 29 in dozens of cities and towns across the UK, defying the British government’s prohibition and warning that “thousands of ordinary people across the country risk arrest and potential terrorism charges for defending democracy, freedom of speech, and for refusing to be complicit in genocide.”
The Government justifies the arrests by applying an “anti-terrorism law” from the year 2000. This move has not only drawn demands from activists but also a warning from the UN, which sees a clear confusion between “terrorism” and “freedom of expression.”
