Ministers ‘abusing' anti-terror laws against Palestine activists
A protest organised by groups under the Palestine Coalition banner marched to Whitehall from Russell Square in central London on Saturday afternoon.
Organisers estimated that 350,000 people attended the protest, with those marching waving Palestinian flags and chanting 'free, free Palestine' and 'stop bombing Iran'.
Many protesters chanted 'shame on you' as they walked past dozens of counter-protesters, organised by pro-Israeli group Stop The Hate, near Waterloo Bridge.
The Metropolitan Police said a person was arrested after a bottle was thrown towards the counter-protesters.
They added that 'a group appeared on Waterloo Bridge trying to block traffic' following the protest, with officers intervening to clear the road.
The demonstrations come after reports on Friday that the Home Secretary will ban Palestine Action after the group vandalised two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.
Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, after footage posted online showed two people inside the RAF base, with one appearing to spray paint into an aircraft's jet engine.
Addressing crowds at the national march for Palestine in Whitehall, former SNP leader Mr Yousaf said: 'While we stand a stone's throw from Downing Street, let's make it clear to the Prime Minister: You try to intimidate us with your anti-terror laws by abusing them, but you'll never silence us as we speak out against the genocide that you're supporting.
'We're not the terrorists – the ones that are literally killing children, they are the terrorists.'
A pro-Palestine protester said it was 'absolutely horrendous' that the Government is preparing to ban Palestine Action.
Artist Hannah Woodhouse, 61, told the PA news agency: 'The Government, since yesterday, have said they're also going to start to try to proscribe peace activists who are trying to take action against the genocide – so Palestine Action are now being targeted by our Government, which is absolutely horrendous.'
Ms Woodhouse, who is from London, added: 'Counter-terrorism measures, it seems, are being used against non-violent peace protesters.
'The peace activists are trying to do the Government's job, which is to disarm Israel. The duty of any government right now is to disarm a genocidal state.'
Musician Paloma Faith told pro-Palestine campaigners that she would not 'stick to music and stay away from politics'.
Speaking to crowds at the march, the songwriter, 43, added: 'Those who facilitate these crimes against humanity need to be made accountable, not those of us who are compassionate and humane enough to stand against it.'
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told protesters that politicians were seeking to 'turn people who protest against the invasion of Iran or the occupation of Palestine into terrorists'.
Some protesters were carrying Iran flags, with others hoisting signs – distributed by the Islamic Human Rights Commission – that read 'choose the right side of history' alongside a photo of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Human rights group Liberty said banning Palestine Action 'would be a huge step change in how counter-terror laws are applied'.
Sam Grant, its external affairs director, said in a statement: 'Targeting a protest group with terrorism powers in this way is a shocking escalation of the Government's crackdown on protest and we urge the Home Secretary to rethink.
'It's clear the actions of Palestine Action don't meet the Government's own proportionality test to be proscribed as a terrorist group, but the consequences for the group's supporters if ministers go ahead would be heavy – with things like wearing their logo carrying prison sentences.
'This move needs to be viewed in light of the sustained crackdowns on protest we have seen from successive governments over recent years, and the worrying fact that there are more and more non-violent protesters spending years in prison.'
The Palestine Coalition is comprised of a number of different groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop The War.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Palestine Action member tells BBC plan to ban group 'absurd'
A Palestine Action member has told the BBC it is "absurd" the government plans to proscribe the group, which would effectively brand it as a terrorist Taji Farouky said it "rips apart the very basic concepts of British democracy and the rule of law", adding: "It's something everyone should be terrified about."The BBC understands the home secretary is preparing a written statement to put before Parliament on comes after Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two planes with red paint, an incident branded "disgraceful" by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Farouky told the BBC he has a conviction for criminal damage related to a different Palestine Action described the potential move from the government as a "knee-jerk reaction" and said it was "being rushed through".When asked if the group should have been surprised by the move to proscribe it, given its actions, Mr Farouky said the government had tried to reclassify Palestine Action for years and it had "never been a tactic that scared" on whether the group had crossed a line by targeting a military site with a role in protecting the UK's national security, Mr Farouky responded by outlining the group's said Palestine Action's "whole reason for being is to break the material supply chain to genocide" and said Friday's incident was an "escalation in tactics because the genocide has escalated".Israel has strongly denied allegations of genocide relating to the ongoing war in Brize Norton serves as the hub for UK strategic air transport and refuelling, including flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The air force has conducted reconnaissance flights over Gaza out of the Cyprus base. Footage posted online by Palestine Action on Friday showed two people inside the Oxfordshire airbase in darkness, with one riding on a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet sharing the footage, a spokesperson said: "Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets."The incident, which is being investigated by counter-terrorism police, prompted the government to launch a security review at military bases across the Friday, a spokesperson for Palestine Action said: "When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action."In a separate post on X, it said the group represented "every individual" who is opposed to Israel's military action in Gaza, adding: "If they want to ban us, they ban us all".Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the incident at RAF Brize Norton "disgraceful" on Friday, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said it was "deeply concerning".However, Amnesty International UK said on Friday that it was "deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protests"."Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn't be used to ban them," the organisation added on social media. Palestine Action has engaged in activities that have predominantly targeted arms companies since the start of the current war in Gaza, with the group claiming responsibility in May for the daubing of a US military plane in UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on Saturday it had "gone beyond protest to blackmail"."It's got to a point where they've started to say: 'We will carry on causing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of damage unless you stop'," Jonathan Hall KC Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the move to ban the group was "absolutely the correct decision"."We must have zero tolerance for terrorism," she wrote in a post on home secretary has the power under UK law to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 if they believe it is "concerned with terrorism".To enact the move, new legislation will be needed, which must be debated and approved by both MPs and are currently 81 groups proscribed as terrorist organisations in the UK under the Terrorism reporting by Hollie Cole.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Tensions in Middle East ramp up as B-2 stealth bombers leave US for possible strike on Iranian targets
British and US warjets have previously helped shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel BOMBER THREAT Tensions in Middle East ramp up as B-2 stealth bombers leave US for possible strike on Iranian targets TENSIONS in the Middle East ramped up further yesterday as B-2 stealth bombers left the US for a possible strike on Iran. US president Donald Trump is believed to have signed off on a hit on the rogue state's underground atomic plant at Fordow. Advertisement 4 Middle East tensions rise as B-2 stealth bombers left the US for a possible strike on Iran Credit: Alamy 4 Missiles fired from Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks Credit: Getty It came after a British national suspected of spying for Iran was arrested near an RAF base on Cyprus. Trump, who said on Thursday he would decide whether to join the offensive 'within two weeks', yesterday gave Israel free rein to continue attacking its enemy Iran. Meanwhile, B-2 bombers took off from the US and were thought to be heading to the Andersen Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam. The powerful B-2 Spirit is the only aircraft capable of delivering the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs needed to smash Iran's atomic site at Fordow, south of Tehran. Advertisement READ MORE ON IRAN IRON WILL Israel will keep bombing Iran even without Trump, says Netanyahu's ex-advisor Waves of attacks would be needed to destroy the plant, which is encased in steel under a mountain. Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also said to be sheltering in a bunker as Israel targets military leaders and nuclear facilities in his country. US officials last night said no orders had yet been given to move the B-2s beyond Guam. But it ramped up more pressure on Khamenei to cut a deal — with Trump demanding Iran scrap its nuclear and ballistic missile plans. Advertisement Meanwhile, a suspected spy linked to Iran was arrested amid fears he was spearheading a massive attack on UK forces in Cyprus. Sources said he was posing as a British tourist when he was detained near the RAF's Akrotiri base with a large camera with telephoto lenses. US deploys bunker-buster bomb carrying B-2 planes to new military base as Iran tensions grow He was also found to have three mobile phones when armed officers swooped on Friday. Police sources confirmed yesterday he was being held on suspicion of terror-related offences and espionage. Advertisement He is suspected to have links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Police swooped on him in the Zakaki suburb of Limassol. He has been in the country since April and is feared to have been mapping troops and jets. The Foreign Office confirmed he was a British national who is understood to be of Azerbaijani descent. Advertisement 4 The apparent remains of a ballistic missile lying on the ground in northern Israel Credit: Reuters Akrotiri — where hundreds of British pilots, troops and back-up staff are based — is just 200 miles from Israel and well within range of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal. Britain and the US have been warned by Khamenei that their bases will be hit if their forces join Israel. The suspect appeared before the Limassol District Court on Friday and was remanded in custody for eight days pending inquiries. Advertisement Cypriot sources said he was understood to have had the sprawling UK airbase 'under surveillance' and also watched Cyprus's own Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos. Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar yesterday also claimed Iran tried to carry out an attack on Israeli citizens in Cyprus. Extra £3k in Persian MI5 jobs By Dominik Lemanski SPYMASTERS are offering £3,000 bonuses to recruit Persian speakers to tackle Iranian terror. Persian Language Specialists at MI5 and MI6 will support investigations to block Tehran-backed assassins and kidnappers. Recruits will be paid up to £44,818 with £3,000 a year extra on qualification. An advert, which is also hiring for GCHQ, reads: 'We're looking for Persian linguists for a role that goes well beyond translation and transcription. 'You will be a significant asset in helping to safeguard the UK.' In April last year, Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati, 37, was stabbed in South West London, in an attack believed to have been ordered by Tehran. It was not known if it was linked to the Brit's arrest. Cyprus has become a transit point for stranded travellers since Israeli airspace was shut at the start of Operation Rising Lion nine days ago. Advertisement Britain has upped the number of RAF Typhoons at Akrotiri and sent extra Voyager air-to-air refuellers. British and US warjets have previously helped shoot down Iranian missiles fired at Israel. But Sir Keir Starmer's government has so far kept the RAF out of the war amid fears of further escalation. Meanwhile, Israel continued to hammer Iran with air attacks on military and atomic sites — as well as top brass and nuclear scientists. Advertisement Israel Defence Forces' biggest scalp yesterday was terror kingpin Saeed Izadi — the financial mastermind of the October 7 attacks which detonated the Middle East crisis. Izadi, head of the Palestinian Division of Iran's Quds Force, was killed in a strike on a 'safe house' in the Iranian city of Qom. The Israeli military's Chief of General Staff Eyal Zamir said: 'Izadi was one of the key figures involved in planning and executing the October 7 massacre. The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands.' 4 Israel's biggest scalp yesterday was terror kingpin Saeed Izadi Credit: @IDF Advertisement The Israeli military later said it killed another commander of the Guards' overseas arm, Benham Shariyari, in western Tehran. He was said to be 'responsible for weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East'. An 11th nuclear scientist was also assassinated at a safe house located by Israeli intelligence. Iran's foreign minister said he will not negotiate while attacks continued. Advertisement But Trump hit back: 'It's very hard to make that request right now. Israel is doing well, in terms of war, and…Iran is doing less well.' But he added: 'We're ready, willing and able and we've been speaking to Iran.' Iran fired more missiles at Israel overnight which were intercepted amid reports of minimal damage.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Keir Starmer branded a 'hypocrite' for condemning 'disgraceful' raid on UK airbase after previously defending RAF protesters in court
Sir Keir Starmer was last night accused of being a 'hypocrite' by Kemi Badenoch for condemning an attack on RAF Brize Norton – having previously defended airbase protesters and used them to build support for his Labour leadership campaign. The Prime Minister described the raid on the base by Palestine Action as 'disgraceful' and an 'act of vandalism' after the group posted footage showing protesters spraying red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft. But Sir Keir has not only argued, during his legal career, that breaking into an airbase and sabotaging its aircraft should be legal – he actually featured an activist in the video used to launch his successful leadership bid in 2020. When he was working as a human-rights barrister, Sir Keir defended Josh Richards, who was arrested after cutting the fence at RAF Fairford while carrying a petrol mixture intended to set fire to the aircraft. In stark contrast to his words on Friday, Starmer argued that Mr Richards' action was legal on the grounds that he was acting to prevent a wider crime – the Iraq war. Sir Keir also represented Lindis Percy, who was arrested over 500 times for breaking into and protesting outside RAF and US bases. In January 2020, when he was running for the Labour leadership, Sir Keir featured Ms Percy in his campaign launch video, in which she said, against the backdrop of images of campaigners: 'Keir defended me, and many others, to bring public scrutiny and awareness to the presence of the US visiting forces so that we can live in a more peaceful and less secretive society. Keir never asked for anything in return.' After Friday's attack, Sir Keir posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, saying: 'The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. 'Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.' Last night, after No10 tried to justify the Prime Minister's actions by saying that under the 'cab rank rule' barristers were obliged to accept any case they were offered, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'This is nothing to do with the barristers' cab rank rule or a lawyer defending their client. 'It's about integrity. I believe that those who aim to damage the British military are extremists and criminals who deserve to be thrown in jail. 'Keir Starmer is so proud of them he puts them in his campaign videos for the Labour leadership. 'This might help explain why, from paying £30billion to surrender the Chagos Islands, to signing several bad trade deals, when this Labour Prime Minister negotiates, Britain keeps losing. Starmer is a hypocrite and represents everything that is wrong with politics.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will move to proscribe the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, effectively branding it as a terrorist organisation. It comes as the intelligence services are investigating whether Palestine Action has been covertly funded by Iran. A security review is now under way at military bases across the UK. A spokesman for Palestine Action said: 'When our government fails to uphold its moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action.' UK defence industry representatives have met with ministers on five occasions, appealing for them to take action against the group, arguing that the cost from the protests is running into tens of millions of pounds. Kevin Craven, the chief executive officer of ADS, the trade association for the UK's aerospace defence security and space sectors, said: 'We have repeatedly engaged with government and policing services, who are responding to a complex and evolving situation in a considered, encouraging and appropriate manner. 'But the scenes from Brize Norton are extremely worrying, and are indicative of a wider environment that our defence sector has been facing for some time. 'Regrettably, this type of violence and criminal damage is not new to our sectors; our members have been increasingly targeted over the past two years.'
