Four arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences during pro-Palestine protest
More than 100 people were arrested across the country during demonstrations this weekend protesting against the proscription of Palestine Action, which was banned as a terrorist organisation in June.
Police said four people from Merseyside – a 74-year-old woman from Kensington, a 65-year-old man from Brighton-le-Sands, a 28-year-old man from Garston and a 72-year-old man from Mossley Hill – were arrested on suspicion of wearing or carrying an article supporting a proscribed organisation.
All had been taken to police stations for questioning.
Protests were held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Truro on Saturday as part of a campaign co-ordinated by Defend Our Juries.
The Metropolitan Police said 55 people were arrested in Parliament Square under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action.
Greater Manchester Police said it had arrested 16 people on Saturday on suspicion of support of a proscribed organisation, adding that they remained in custody for questioning.
Eight people were arrested near Truro Cathedral in Cornwall after protesters gathered to show support for Palestine Action.
And Avon and Somerset Police said 17 people were arrested during a protest in Bristol.
Palestine Action was banned after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident claimed by the direct action group, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying that the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
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.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Palestine Action co-founder wins permission to challenge ban
The co-founder of Palestine Action can bring an unprecedented legal challenge to the home secretary's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, a high court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Chamberlain said the proscription order against the direct action group risked 'considerable harm to the public interest' because of a potential 'chilling effect' on legitimate political speech. The judge cited the case of Laura Murton, who the Guardian revealed had been threatened with arrest by armed officers for holding a sign saying 'Free Gaza' and a Palestinian flag. Chamberlain's decision is the first time that an organisation banned under anti-terrorism law has been granted a court trial to challenge proscription. The judge said: 'If, as the claimant says, the proscription order is likely to have a significant chilling effect on the legitimate political speech of many thousands of people, that would do considerable harm to the public interest. 'Reports of the kind of police conduct referred to … are liable to have a chilling effect on those wishing to express legitimate political views. This effect can properly be regarded as an indirect consequence of the proscription order.' He continued: 'I consider it reasonably arguable that the proscription order amounts to a disproportionate interference with the article 10 and article 11 (European convention of human rights) rights (freedom of expression and assembly, respectively) of the claimant and others.' The group's co-founder, Huda Ammori, called it a 'landmark decision … especially at a time when protesters – mostly elderly citizens – are being dragged off in police vans, held in detention for more than 24 hours, having their homes raided and face criminal prosecution, simply for holding signs that they oppose genocide and expressing their support for Palestine Action'. More than 200 people are believed to have been arrested since the 5 July ban on Palestine Action, the first on a direct action group, placing it alongside the likes of Islamic State and Boko Haram. The three-day hearing in November will increase scrutiny on the decision-making of the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, and casts uncertainty over the fate of those recently arrested under the Terrorism Act in relation to Palestine Action – or who might be arrested in future. The Home Office had argued that the proper forum for Palestine Action to challenge the ban was the POAC (Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission), which parliament had designated precisely for that purpose, rather than judicial review. But Chamberlain said POAC would be unlikely to be able to hear the case before the middle of next year whereas a judicial review could be heard this autumn and there was a strong public interest for it to be determined authoritatively as soon as possible. Otherwise, people charged with criminal offences under the Terrorism Act might seek to challenge the legality of the proscription order in courts that might reach different decisions, creating 'a recipe for chaos', he said. The second ground on which Chamberlain granted permission for judicial review, in addition to concerns about freedom of speech and protest, was that Cooper had not consulted Palestine Action before proscribing it, finding it reasonably arguable that there was a duty to consult. The judge refused Ammori permission to challenge the government on six other grounds, including a claim that the home secretary had failed to gather sufficient information on Palestine Action's activities or the impact of the proscription on people associated with the group. Chamberlain referred in his judgment to the 'deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza'. He quoted from a joint statement last week by the foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the foreign ministers of 27 other countries in which they said 'the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Documents in the case showed that Cooper held private discussions with aides for three months before she took the decision to ban Palestine Action. On one occasion, she decided to ban the group but reversed course two days later. She finally decided to ban the group on 20 June, hours after Palestine Action said its members had broken into the RAF's Brize Norton airbase and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint. On 7 March, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), a government body based within MI5, produced a secret report. It concluded that the majority of Palestine Action's activities would not be classified as terrorism on the grounds that the group 'primarily uses direct action tactics', which typically resulted in minor damage to property. 'Common tactics include graffiti, petty vandalism, occupation and lock-ons,' it added. Nonetheless JTAC concluded that Palestine Action should be banned, arguing that its protests had been escalating, citing three protests it said constituted acts of terrorism. Whitehall officials supported a ban too, but conceded that proscribing the group would be 'relatively novel' as 'there was no known precedent of an organisation being proscribed on the basis that it was concerned in terrorism mainly due to its use or threat of action involving series damage to property'. From late March officials recommended on a series of occasions that the group be banned, but Cooper made no firm decision, often requesting more information. On 14 May she backed the ban but two days later delayed implementing it as she wanted more details on Palestine Action's recent activities. A Whitehall minute recorded that by 2.15pm on 20 June, Cooper had decided that Palestine Action was to be banned 'at pace'. An application by Ammori's lawyers to suspend the effect of the proscription order until the trial has taken place in November was rejected by Chamberlain. The judge also refused a request by the Home Office to bring an appeal over his decision about POAC. At last week's hearing, lawyers for Ammori also highlighted the arrest of a man in Leeds for carrying a placard reproducing a graphic from Private Eye magazine, which said: 'Unacceptable Palestine Action: spraying military planes. Acceptable Palestine Action: shooting Palestinians queueing for food.'
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Epping leaders request meeting with home secretary over asylum hotel
Protests at a hotel in Essex housing asylum seekers "is a crisis that risks boiling over", the local MP has said as pressure builds on the home secretary to close it down. Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, has signed a letter along with other local politicians urging Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to make The Bell Hotel a priority for urgent decommissioning. Mr Hudson told Sky News that protests at the site have led to "deeply troubling and unsettling" scenes, with people coming from outside the area "not to support the real concerns of our local community, but to disrupt and cause violence". He said: "This is a crisis that risks boiling over, and for the safety of our community, the government must get a grip on this situation now, and they must listen and act quickly to close the hotel." The letter to the home secretary, which requests an urgent meeting, was also signed by neighbouring Conservative MP Alex Burghart, Epping Forest District Council leader Christopher Whitbread, leader of Essex County Council Kevin Bentley, and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex Roger Hirst. It also expresses concerns about the use of the Phoenix Hotel in North Weald, in Mr Burghart's Brentwood and Ongar constituency, to house asylum seekers, which has been subject to alleged arson attacks. The letter said the sites are "proving to be entirely unsuitable" and "placing an unsustainable strain on police resources". They added that this is "creating significant community tension, and leading to public disorder that is unacceptable to our residents and deeply concerning for the safety of all involved". Multiple demonstrations have been held outside The Bell since 13 July after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, who was charged with sexual assault, denies the allegations. He is due to stand trial in August. Since the disorder broke out, Essex Police said 14 people have been charged in connection with the protests and there have been 23 arrests, while eight officers have been injured. One of the injured officers required hospitalisation "after being struck in the face with a bottle", the letter from the authorities said. It said that "large-scale protests and counter-protests" have attracted more than 2,000 people on some days and deploying police to the demonstrations is "putting our ability to maintain public safety at risk". "We support the Home Office's wider objective of reducing reliance on hotels and are keen to work with you. However, we urge you to accelerate this process and make The Bell Hotel in Epping a priority for urgent closure," the letter added. 11:48 Chancellor Rachel Reeves said last month that the government would close all asylum seeker hotels by the end of this parliament but with record numbers still crossing the Channel, it is not clear how this will be achieved or where those awaiting a decision will go. As Sky's home editor Jason Farrell reports, tensions have also flared in Altrincham near Manchester, where a hotel has been repurposed to house asylum seekers. Last week, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News he "gets the public's frustration" over asylum hotels. The government has since announced that asylum seekers will face homelessness if they refuse to move out of hotels, as part of their plans to reduce their use. However, it is not clear if they have immediate plans to shut down The Bell. Last week, after Epping council voted to urge the government to shut the hotel, a spokesperson said: "We'll continue to work closely with local police and community partners, in Epping and across the country, as we fix this broken system."
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘At 80, to be treated like a terrorist is shocking': arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action
Palestine Action's co-founder has won a bid to bring a high court challenge over the group's ban as a terror organisation, which makes membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. About 200 people have been arrested on suspicion of publicly protesting support for PA since it was banned. They include: Retired teacher Farley was picked up by police at a silent demonstration in Leeds for holding a sign that made a joke about the government's proscription of the group Palestine Action taken from an issue of the fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye. He was then arrested under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which he described as a 'pretty terrifying and upsetting experience'. Farley, who had never been arrested before, told the Guardian: 'I clearly wasn't any kind of physical threat.' The Private Eye editor, Ian Hislop, said the arrest was 'mind boggling'. Retired teacher Sorrell from Wells, Somerset, was arrested for holding a placard at a pro-Palestine rally in Cardiff, and she was held by police for almost 27 hours, during which officers forced their way into her house and searched it. She said officers removed 19 items from her home, including iPads, a Palestinian flag, books on Palestine, material related to Extinction Rebellion and the climate crisis, as well as drumsticks for – and a belt that holds – her samba drum. 'At 80, to be treated like a dangerous terrorist is deeply shocking. I've been very traumatised by this. Every morning I wake up feeling sick, nauseous. [I have] had to take anti-sickness pills,' she told the Guardian. Retired teacher Also from Wells and a friend of Sorrell, Fine was held for the same period of time. The women have been bailed until October. Their bail conditions prohibit contact with each other and spending any nights away from their homes. She said that during her detention officers refused to let her have the antibiotics she was taking for a serious gum infection, and failed to call her husband, who is recovering from cancer treatment, to tell him about her arrest, despite having agreed to do so. Retired priest Parfitt, from Henbury in Bristol, was arrested on the same day the group was outlawed. She was attending a demonstration in Parliament Square in London. She was sitting in a camp chair surrounded by other protesters, holding a placard stating her support for Palestine Action. As she was led away by police, she called the ban 'total nonsense', adding that it symbolised a 'loss of civil liberties in this country', according to the BBC. Hinton is a retired magistrate. Baines is a former charity director Hinton and Baines were among eight people arrested by Devon and Cornwall officers at a peaceful demonstration. 'She's a pillar of the community, so it's a very brave thing for her to have done,' Baines said of Hinton. 'Part of why we were protesting is that this mission creep of laws against protests is really frightening people. This is about freedom of speech,' he told Cornwall Live. He added: 'We're not advocating for Palestine Action. We're resisting the proscription of Palestine Action. We're resisting the politicised use of terror laws to suppress a non-violent campaign of sabotage. We're resisting the criminalisation of peaceful protest because it's already being used to intimidate and threaten people just for having Palestine flags.'
