logo
Palestine Action protest to go ahead with more than 500 people, organisers say

Palestine Action protest to go ahead with more than 500 people, organisers say

Glasgow Times2 days ago
Defend Our Juries said those taking part will hold 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' signs on Saturday in central London as part of a campaign to end the proscription of Palestine Action.
The group added that the protest would go ahead as planned after the 'conditional commitment requirement' was reached.
The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone found to be expressing support for Palestine Action 'can expect to be arrested' following the Government's decision to ban the organisation last month.
Defend Our Juries has denied that the planned mass protest will try to overwhelm the police and justice system.
People during a previous protest in Parliament Square, central London, in support of Palestine Action (Yui Mok/PA)
A spokesperson said on Tuesday: 'Defend Our Juries has confirmed that 500+ people have committed to holding 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' signs on Saturday in central London, as part of the Lift the Ban campaign, to end the proscription of Palestine Action.
'Since the threshold for the conditional commitment requirement has been reached, the action will go ahead as planned.'
More than 200 people were arrested at a wave of protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month as part of the campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries.
Many of the protesters were detained after writing and holding up the message 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' on placards or pieces of cardboard.
A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the organisers of Saturday's planned protest are encouraging hundreds of people turn out with the intention of placing a strain on the police and the wider criminal justice system.
'The Met is very experienced in dealing with large-scale protests, including where the protest activity crosses into criminality requiring arrests.
'While we will not go into the specific details of our plan, the public can be assured that we will have the resources and processes in place to respond to any eventuality.
'Our officers will continue to apply the law in relation to Palestine Action as we have done since its proscription.
'Anyone showing support for the group can expect to be arrested.'
A Defend Our Juries spokesperson previously said: 'It is wrong to characterise this (planned demonstration) as a plan to overwhelm the police and court systems.
'If we are allowed to protest peacefully and freely, then that is no bother to anyone.'
The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident it subsequently claimed, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
A High Court ruling on Wednesday decided that Palestine Action's co-founder Huda Ammori had several 'reasonably arguable' beliefs in her challenge over the group's ban that would be heard at a three-day hearing in November, but a bid to pause the ban temporarily was refused.
The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out' deal as PM vows to secure border
First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out' deal as PM vows to secure border

Rhyl Journal

time24 minutes ago

  • Rhyl Journal

First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out' deal as PM vows to secure border

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Government was prepared to defend itself against legal challenges if migrants seek to avoid being sent back across the English Channel. The migrants detained were among those who risked the Channel crossing on Wednesday, the day the pilot scheme began operating. The first small boat migrants have been detained under our landmark UK-France returns deal. This is what happens next 👇 — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) August 7, 2025 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France. No gimmicks, just results. 'If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.' The pilot scheme was set up as part of a deal announced by the Prime Minister and French president Mr Macron during his state visit to the UK in July. UK officials aim to make referrals for returns to France within three days of a migrant's arrival by small boat while French authorities will respond within 14 days. This is in exchange for an approved asylum seeker in France to be brought to the UK under a safe route. No figures have been confirmed for how many migrants will be sent back, although reports from France have suggested it could be around 50 a week, a small fraction of the numbers making the crossing in small boats. The Home Secretary said: 'The pilot has now begun, so the first migrants who have arrived on the small boats are now in detention. We will then swiftly make the referrals to France and that process will now start to be able to return people to France. 'It's the beginning of the pilot and it will build as well over time, but we're also clear that France is a safe country, so we will robustly defend against any legal challenge that people try. 'We do expect for people to start being returned in a matter of weeks.' The Home Office is expected to launch a campaign in the coming days to make migrants in northern France and elsewhere aware of the new treaty. Ms Cooper added: 'Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make.' The Home Secretary has acknowledged the accord is not a 'silver bullet' to stop small boat crossings, which are running at record levels so far in 2025. But the Government hopes it will be a turning point as migrants will be sent back across the Channel for the first time. The process for asylum seekers to come to the UK under the 'one in, one out' pilot scheme has also been launched, with adults and families in France able to express an interest in coming to the UK through an online platform set up by the Home Office. They will have to meet suitability criteria, a standard visa application process and security checks. If accepted, they would be given three months in the UK to claim asylum or apply for a visa, and would be subject to the same rules for all asylum seekers not allowed to work, study or have access to benefits. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said just a 'token handful' of migrants had been detained and suggested the pilot scheme would fail. He said: 'Keir Starmer's promise last year to 'smash the gangs' has turned out to be nothing more than a gimmick that didn't work, and this is just the same. 'They are detaining a token handful of arrivals and in return we accept unvetted migrants from France. The whole thing is riddled with loopholes, opt-outs and legal escape routes that will make removals near-impossible.'

Pro Palestine protester has 'draconian' Glasgow ban lifted
Pro Palestine protester has 'draconian' Glasgow ban lifted

The Herald Scotland

time35 minutes ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Pro Palestine protester has 'draconian' Glasgow ban lifted

He was not to enter the city centre and was to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on October 7. Mr Clerkin was arrested for displaying a sign that read Genocide in Palestine Time to Take Action, with the words Palestine and Action in larger letters. He was arrested under the Terrorism Act for allegedly showing support for Palestine Action, a group proscribed in the UK. Mr Clerkin appealed the bail conditions as 'excessive and draconian' and said it would interfere with his work as a tenants rights advocate for the Scottish Tenants Organisation. Today at Glasgow Sheriff Court, the conditions were rescinded. Before any hearing could take place, the Procurator Fiscal depute issued him with a letter. It stated: 'A decision on whether criminal proceedings are appropriate has not yet been taken but I have decided that you do not need to come to Glasgow Sheriff Court on October 7 . 'You do not need to appear in court in terms of your undertaking and any additional conditions which you accepted as part of your undertaking will no longer apply from the end of today's date.' Outside the court, Mr Clerkin said the decision was a 'victory'. He said: 'This is a major victory in the right to protest in a democracy. "It was a draconian ban and symptomatic of a move towards a police state. 'Everyone who believes in liberal democracy has to stand up. "It is about ending the genocide in Gaza and stopping children from starving to death.' He repeated his statement that his protest was about democratic rights. Mr Clerkin added: 'I am not a member of Palestine Action and I do not support the use of criminal damage which they carried out.' But he said the group should not be proscribed. He added: 'I do not want to see other organisations proscribed who are non-violent direct action.'

Three charged with support for Palestine Action
Three charged with support for Palestine Action

Times

timean hour ago

  • Times

Three charged with support for Palestine Action

Three people have been charged with showing support for Palestine Action, the first since the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation, the Metropolitan Police have said. The two women and a man were arrested in Westminster on July 5 after a protest in central London. Jeremy Shippam, 71, of Yapton in West Sussex, Judit Murray, also 71, of West Ewell in Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney in northeast London, were charged with showing support for a proscribed organisation under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They are due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on September 16. A protest in support of Palestine Action is planned for Saturday afternoon in Parliament Square. Organisers expect more than 500 people to attend. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's counterterrorism command, said: 'Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law. 'These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on July 5. We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day.' He added: 'I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store