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Scotsman
8 hours ago
- Scotsman
Why police must tell Labour to think again over Palestine Action
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Dear Chief Constable, I am writing to you concerning the decision to designate Palestine Action a terrorist organisation and to criminalise support for them. Many organisations, from Amnesty International to the United Nations, have condemned this decision, describing it as a threat to human rights and civil liberties. The UK Government has responded by arguing that it is necessary for national security and public order. I want to try and persuade you that the legislation and the mass arrests to which it has led are as bad for security and public order as they are for our rights. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I base my counsel on over 40 years of studying crowd events and crowd violence. For sure, some crowds are very violent. But it is wrong to suppose that crowds are inherently violent or that individuals are helplessly swept up in the contagion of violence once it starts. A protester is carried away by police officers at a 'Lift The Ban' demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action (Picture: Henry Nicholls) | AFP via Getty Images The problem with demonising crowds Such views, in the past, have led to highly repressive forms of public order policing – the irony being that such action has validated the argument of some that the state is the enemy and one can only fight fire with fire. In short, the demonisation of crowds leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby indiscriminate police repression leads to the escalation of violence. These insights have led to the development of new forms of public order policing which marginalise those advocating violence by starting from the question 'how can we help crowd members achieve legitimate goals' rather than 'how can we stop crowds causing problems'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Once crowd members see the police as an asset rather than an impediment, they themselves will act to control those amongst them who favour mayhem. After all, crowd members know that if a demonstration turns into a riot, then violence will dominate the headlines and their cause will be silenced. Absence of Seattle-style violence at COP26 Such 'facilitative policing' has developed in leaps and bounds and Police Scotland has had a proud place in its vanguard. In 2021, I was part of the independent advisory group to the policing of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Police Scotland stressed its commitment to human rights policing, to protecting the right to peaceful protest, and to facilitating those who wished to make their concerns about urgent action on the climate emergency heard loudly and clearly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For sure, the policing wasn't perfect. There were controversies about how far the police lived up to these principles and whether the deployment of some 10,000 officers was overkill. Nonetheless, even the fiercest critic would accept that what happened was far different from the violence at previous COPs and other summits (Copenhagen, Paris, Hamburg, Seattle). Or again, during Covid, I was involved in advising the police about their approach which was based on working with people rather than coming down heavily upon them. It was encapsulated in the '4Es' policy: if people break the pandemic regulations, start off by 'Engaging' with them, 'Explain' to them why the regulations are important, and 'Encourage' them to comply. Only as a last resort use 'Enforcement'. This approach was highly successful and arguably avoided the riots that happened in countries like France where the police immediately arrested those breaking curfew. Elderly protesters bubbling with joy The power of such approaches is as much long term as short term. If protests are seen as dangerous places where anyone could find themselves in the midst of a fight, then only those willing to countenance violence will attend. But if facilitative policing helps make crowds safer spaces, then families and children will take part and violence will become even more unlikely. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I recall visiting a church group during COP26 where elderly parishioners (who had never before been on a protest before, thinking such things were not for people like them) were bubbling with joy at the sense of community they had experienced. It takes a long time to build up such trust. It can be destroyed in an instant. The arrests around Palestine Action are in grave danger of doing so. This is exacerbated when people are carted away not only for expressing support for the organisation but for objecting to the ban or simply for expressing views which coincide with those of Palestine Action – such as the fact that Gaza should be free and some action must be taken to stop the appalling situation in Palestine. By such logic, anyone who wants the trains to run on time is a fascist sympathiser. When the police arrest over 500 people for holding up placards saying what most of the population believe (that we should take action on Palestine) and when people who are dedicated to the rule of law (such as elderly magistrates) are criminalised, something is plainly going wrong. Making public disorder and terrorism more likely Going back to the times when demonstrations were dangerous places and the police were viewed as the enemy makes public disorder more likely. It also makes crowds more dangerous and unpleasant for officers on the frontline who experience mass antagonism. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Worse still, when the right to seek change through collective protest is undermined, some will become more likely to resort to individualistic acts of terror. Chief Constable, I hope it is clear why this legislation is a deeply retrograde step that is as bad for the rule of law, for the preservation of the public order and for the well-being of your own officers as it is for those who are flabbergasted by a law that lumps together Palestine Action with al-Qaeda and Isis (if, on 9/11, al-Qaeda had limited themselves to spray painting the Twin Towers, we would be living in a very different world). I also hope you will agree that the best way to serve your community and your staff is to join with your fellow Chief Constables and say to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper: 'Think again.'
Channel 4
9 hours ago
- Channel 4
Helping starving Gazans from 3,000 miles away in Manchester
Ghassan was sitting in his Manchester room when we arrived to meet him. He was answering phone calls from his team trying to work out how many families they could feed – 3,000 miles away in Gaza. Ghassan Ghaben, who is Palestinian and was born in Gaza, is the co-founder of Reviving Gaza, a mutual aid group set up to help displaced Palestinian families. He runs the group with his sister Amal, who's now based in Egypt, and a network of volunteers inside the strip. At first, their focus was on helping people survive the bombardment or displacement. But now, they're are simply trying to feed as many people as possible. In March, Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza. By May, some aid resumed but under new restrictions. The UN has since warned that the worst-case scenario of famine is currently unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Starvation is spreading and children under five are dying from hunger-related causes. Ghassan says: 'The Israelis don't wany any organisations working efficiently in Gaza and distributing food the way it should be distributed. They want chaos. Those big organisations are not able to do any work but for us it's different. We have the people from there and they have the contacts.' 'The Israelis don't wany any organisations working efficiently in Gaza and distributing food the way it should be distributed. They want chaos.' – Ghassan Ghaben The Israeli authorities deny they are blocking the flow of aid and say the UN are failing to distribute it. They also accuse Hamas of stealing it, but internal US government analysis also found no evidence of systematic theft of US-funded aid. But since May, the main way to get aid has been at the controversial US-Israel backed GHF sites. Not everyone is able to access aid distribution sites and prices have skyrocketed in Gaza's markets. So the Reviving Gaza team are stepping in, using money raised from donations to buy food that is too expensive for most Gazans – and then distributing it more evenly. Amal says they're focused on helping the most vulnerable 'orphans, mothers alone, and the elderly', those who have no way of accessing food. But with limited access to food and funds, they can only feed families day by day. Later in the afternoon, Ghassan calls Ola, one of the team's volunteers in Gaza. The 20 year old smiles as Ghassan calls but her smile hides the risks of the job. At least three Reviving Gaza volunteers have been killed, among them Frans Al Salmi – a talented artist and life-long friend of Amal's who was in charge of aid distribution in the north. 'I know she's not with me now but her soul is with me always. I open her messages everyday.' For Amal, Frans's legacy is about Gazans helping each other survive; one day at a time. Only 14 per cent of aid needed has entered Gaza since May, Israeli data shows 'Skin on top of bones': Gaza aid coming in, but not enough Should Israel be held accountable for Gaza aid queue deaths?
Channel 4
9 hours ago
- Channel 4
UN condemns Israel's targeted attack killing six Gaza journalists
Outrage has been growing around the world over the six journalists killed in a targeted attack by Israeli forces in Gaza – as Al Jazeera, which employed five of the men, condemned what they called 'a desperate attempt to silence voices'. The UN chief led calls for an independent and impartial investigation into the killings.
