logo
Woman wearing Palestine Action t-shirt arrested in Belfast

Woman wearing Palestine Action t-shirt arrested in Belfast

It comes after the British Government in July made expressing support for or being a member of Palestine Action a criminal offence under terrorism legislation.
In London, around 365 people were arrested for supporting the banned group after protesters gathered in Parliament Square on Saturday.
In Belfast, videos shared online show a woman wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt being told by police officers she was being arrested on suspicion of 'possessing an article, namely a sign or t-shirt, that indicates support for Palestine Action'.
Belfast MLA Gerry Carroll condemned police action against pro-Palestine activists.
He called on Executive ministers to 'speak up for the right to protest' and dismiss any charges people may face.
'The whole world can see the mass starvation and daily executions carried out by Israel, yet the people being harassed in Belfast are those who stand up for Palestine,' Mr Carroll said.
'On the same day we saw far-right protesters with offensive and provocative signage, including pro-Israel items, the police took it upon themselves to arrest activists for having the temerity to wear items of clothing in solidarity action.
'The British Government implemented a regressive clampdown with their vote to proscribe Palestine Action, without a single vote being cast in the local Assembly.'
Sinn Fein MLA for West Belfast Pat Sheehan said the British Government and PSNI's actions were 'disgraceful'.
'While Keir Starmer continues to enable the ongoing Israeli genocide and starvation of Gazans, he is also moving to silence ordinary, decent people for speaking out,' he said.
'Just yesterday, (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu announced his intention to seize Gaza City.
'Yet still, Starmer provides cover for this rogue regime, instead targeting activists for highlighting what should be a universal moral outrage.
'Like all previous censorship attempts by the British Government, which is totally out of step with the wider public, this too will fail.
'Highlighting the ongoing devastation in Gaza is not a crime. The real crime is Israel's policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide, aided and abetted by the US and Britain.'
The PSNI has been contacted for comment.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Israel ‘kills Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif' and accuses him of leading Hamas cell
Israel ‘kills Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif' and accuses him of leading Hamas cell

Daily Mirror

time29 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Israel ‘kills Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif' and accuses him of leading Hamas cell

Israel says it killed a journalist from Al Jazeera, claiming he was in charge of a Hamas cell. Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, who reported extensively from northern Gaza for the Doha-based outlet, is understood to have been killed in a targeted attack, according to the director of the al-Shifa hospital. The 28-year-old correspondent was inside a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital when it was hit, killing him and three colleagues. Mohammed Qreiqeh, another correspondent, and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were also killed. In his last post on Twitter, which was shared shortly before his death, al-Sharif wrote that Gaza City was being bombarded with concentrated attacks, which are known as "fire belts". He also shared a video in which Israeli bombs can be heard pounding the besieged city in the distance. Israel shared a statement in which it announced its military had kiled al-Sharif, accusing him of being in charge of a Hamas cell. In this role, they said he was responsible for "advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and troops". They also claim to have "unequivocal proof" of his involvement.

Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza
Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza

Broadcaster Al Jazeera said its correspondent Anas al-Sharif has been killed in Gaza City. The broadcaster said he and several other journalists, including another correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, were killed in their tent. The director of Shifa hospital, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, told The Independent: 'Unfortunately, a bomb exploded at the Al Jazeera news channel medical complex. Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, and four journalists working with them were killed, along with another bystander. 'Part of the hospital's emergency department, where Al Jazeera cameramen and assistants work, was also damaged. The tent was directly bombed and they arrived at the emergency department with severe injuries.' Israel's military claimed in a statement late on Sunday that al-Sharif had "posed as a journalist" and alleged he was with Hamas. The Committee to Protect Journalists last month said it was gravely concerned for al-Sharif's safety and said he was being "targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign'.

Proscribing Palestine Action has 'empowered' far-right, say protesters
Proscribing Palestine Action has 'empowered' far-right, say protesters

Powys County Times

timean hour ago

  • Powys County Times

Proscribing Palestine Action has 'empowered' far-right, say protesters

Protesters in a UK town twinned with Al-Mawasi in Gaza blame the Palestine Action ban for an increase in violence and abuse against demonstrators. An organiser of the Friends of Al-Mawasi group, based in Hastings, East Sussex, said the UK Government has 'empowered' extremists by trying to 'demonise' Palestine supporters. In July, Hastings Borough Council passed a motion to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, an end to all arms sales to Israel and to support the town's friendship links with the people of Al-Mawasi – a section of the Gaza Strip. Last month, at a fundraising walk, there were multiple alleged incidents of verbal and physical abuse from counter-protesters which were reported to the police. A woman, waiting for the demonstrators at De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, was pushed to the ground and called a 'f****** terrorist' for wearing a keffiyeh, while a Jewish man, whose father escaped the Holocaust, was repeatedly called a Nazi by Israel supporters. Both incidents were reported to Sussex Police after the walk on July 20. On Sunday, roughly 100 protesters ran a second fundraising walk from Hastings beach along the coast to Bexhill 'in defiance' of the abuse. Grace Lally, who helped set up the group and campaigned for the town to twin with Al-Mawasi, believes there is a 'clear link' between the Government action and the abuse. She said: 'Those extremists have been empowered by a Government that says, people supporting Palestine are terrorists, d'you know what I mean?' Ms Lally added: 'The reason it's being challenged in the court and the reason the court has given permission for a judicial review to be held is because of the chilling effect of that ruling which blurs the line between protest and terrorism.' She said it did not matter that the Government had only proscribed Palestine Action rather than all protesters. 'That (the decision) I think has emboldened people on the far-right, extremists, to sort of see anyone who's supporting Palestine as a legitimate target,' Ms Lally said. On Saturday, more than 500 people were arrested in central London for showing support for Palestine Action. Richard Wistreich, a member of Jews for Justice Hastings, was one of the demonstrators who faced abuse in the July fundraising march. He told the PA news agency that cars had parked on their route to Bexhill, with a couple of people waving Israeli flags and shouting abuse as the protesters passed by. Mr Wistreich, whose father escaped Poland in the late 1930s, said: 'At one point one of them got out of the car and saw my T-shirt, which made it quite clear that I am proclaiming myself to be Jewish. 'So I was then very loudly told that I was not a Jew and in fact I was a Nazi, in a very, very aggressive manner.' The woman wearing the keffiyeh, who wishes to remain anonymous, said a man approached her on the pavilion aggressively and said 'that scarf', which she ignored. She said: 'I wasn't responding to him at all because he looked so angry and then he went 'you're a f****** terrorist' and then he proceeded to grab the scarf and pull me close to him.' The woman said she tried to get his hands off her, but he pushed her to the ground and she hit her head, before two people intervened and pulled the man off her. On Sunday afternoon, the protesters were wary of further incidents but bolstered by much greater numbers, and the vast majority of passers-by seemed supportive. A few made comments which the protesters ignored. Before the walk, Green Party councillor Yunis Smith said: 'We may see some people trying to antagonise us, cause issues, trying to be abusive, aggressive, offensive, let's remember the strength, perseverance and patience that our Palestinian brothers and sisters have when we face this.' When links between the towns were first set up in 2022, Al-Mawasi, located in western Khan Younis, was a rural farming and fishing town with a population of 12,000. According to the United Nations, there were 425,000 displaced Palestinians living in the area as of June 19, and the protesters said the figure is now closer to 600,000. Israel is obliged under international humanitarian law to ensure adequate and safe shelter for internally displaced people, as well as access to food, water, and medical care, until they can return to their homes. A United Nations report released in June said that Israel had not made 'any effort' to comply with those laws since its offensive began. 'I can't understand how anybody, regardless of your political persuasion, can see this level of injustice and not break inside, I just don't, I don't get it,' said councillor Smith. Ms Lally said it was 'bittersweet' to have the council finally twin with Al-Mawasi given the devastation in the area, but still felt it was a positive step. 'Palestine is made up of communities of people and those people, they're not going away, they will rebuild, this will end, there will be a future for them and twinning sort of is just a testament to that,' she said.

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