Five spokespeople from a group protesting the ban on Palestine Action have been arrested in the of dawn police raids, police have confirmed. Defend Our Juries spokesperson Tim Crosland, a former human rights lawyer, was arrested hours before he was due to hold a press conference announcing a mass action on Saturday (September 6) from 1pm, with 1,000 people having pledged to hold signs.
A total of 474 people were arrested for holding signs saying ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’ at a mass action organised by Defend Our Juries in Parliament Square on August 9. Organisers say they expected there could be as many as 1,500 sign-holders by the time this Saturday’s action goes ahead ‘presenting a significant challenge for police resources’.
Palestine Action was banned in June, days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint. The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Kerry Moscogiuri, Director of Campaigns and Communications at Amnesty International UK, said this morning’s police raids were ‘incredibly concerning’, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of people who have been arrested.
“Criminalising speech or protest is only permitted when it incites violence, hatred or discrimination. To be clear: expressing support for Palestine Action does not meet this threshold. In fact, arresting and prosecuting people in this context, is a violation of the UK’s obligations under human rights law,” added Ms Moscogiuri.
Defend Our Juries says a press conference will go ahead tomorrow, as will a mass action on Saturday, despite the arrest of key spokespeople. The arrests include young law student Paddy Friend, who was due to speak at today’s press conference alongside Mr Crosland. Mr Friend, 25, previously told the BBC he knew getting arrested could ruin his career, but he felt like he had to do it.
Witnesses on the raid on Mr Friend’s home said they were told by police the arrest under S12 of the Terrorism Act because ‘he had hosted a zoom call with other members of Defend Our Juries’, which the protest group says lines up with what others were told.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: “This is scandalous. Locking up our key spokespeople just hours before they were due to hold a press conference announcing more peaceful Lift the Ban protests constitutes an unprecedented assault on free speech in our country.
“This level of political repression is not what we expect in a democracy – it’s the kind of tactic typically associated with authoritarian regimes around the world.
“Despite this dystopian crackdown targeting perceived organisers of peaceful protests, the mass action will go ahead, with 1,000 people pledging to hold signs.
“The mass defiance of the unjust ban on Palestine Action is unstoppable.
“The Home Office and the Met would have known about our press conference today.
“The counter-terrorism police are clearly targeting people they perceive as organisers, and the key spokespeople arrested were told they were being arrested for hosting public Zoom calls.
“No one has been arrested for joining the Zoom calls – only the hosts – and we will be holding another Zoom call tonight ahead of our action on Saturday.”
‘Ongoing investigation’
The Metropolitan Police confirmed five people were arrested on Tuesday morning (September 2) on suspicion of encouraging support for a proscribed organisation, contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act (TACT), 2000. The arrested persons, who remain in police custody, are:
- 26-year-old man in South London
- 55-year-old man in South East London
- 61-year-old woman in East London
- 48-year-old woman in Kendal, Cumbria
- 39-year-old man in Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan, Head of Operations for the Counter Terrorism Command said: “These arrests have been made as part of an ongoing investigation into people we suspect have been involved in encouraging support for the proscribed group Palestine Action.
“We know there is a great strength of feeling towards the situation in Palestine and thousands have been able and continue to be able to express their views through protest and demonstrations, without breaking counter terrorism laws.
“But Palestine Action is clearly proscribed as a terrorist group, and those showing support for this particular group, or encouraging others to do so can expect to be arrested, investigated and prosecuted.
“There are serious consequences for those who are found guilty of an offence under the Terrorism Act, so I would urge anyone considering showing public support towards to this proscribed group to reconsider.”
This is a breaking story, we will update it as we get more information…
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