Latest news with #2000TerrorismAct
Time Magazine
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Hundreds Arrested At Protest in Defiance of Anti-Terror Law
Police in London arrested at least 365 protesters on Saturday who defied an anti-terror law by holding placards expressing support for a recently banned pro-Palestinian group. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the British Parliament to hold signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action," in what they said was a protest for freedom of expression. By doing so, the protesters violated a law passed by the British Parliament in early July that classified Palestine Action as a terror organization and made it illegal for anyone to publicly show support for it. The legislation was passed in response to an incident in which activists from the group broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker aircraft in protest against the United Kingdom's support for Israel, and against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. "Within this crowd a significant number of people are displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action, which is a proscribed group," the Metropolitan Police Service said on X. "Officers have moved in and are making arrests." Police later said they had arrested 365 people for 'supporting a proscribed organization.' Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000. Saturday's demonstration was organized by a group called Defend Our Juries, which called for people to attend the protest with signs expressing support for Palestine Action in a demonstration of civil disobedience. "Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead," the group said on its website. Rights group Amnesty International described the arrests as 'deeply concerning.' It has previously criticized the law as 'excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression.' What is Palestine Action? Palestine Action was established in 2020 and claims to take 'aim at the infrastructure that sustains the Israeli occupation,' according to co-founder Huda Ammori. The group has frequently targeted Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defense contractor that earlier this year signed a contract with the Israeli government worth $275 million. Palestine Action staged break-ins at Elbit sites across the U.K. last year in the city of Bristol, and at a factory in the county of Kent, where around £1 million ($1.33 million) worth of property was reportedly destroyed. The group was proscribed as a terrorist group under the 2000 Terrorism Act by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on July 5, after members of the group broke into a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire on June 20, spray painting two Voyager jets and damaging them with crowbars. The British Government said that the group 'has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions' and that it 'prepares for, promotes, and encourages terrorism.' 'Proscription will enable law enforcement to effectively disrupt Palestine Action,' the government order read, meaning that support for the group is now deemed a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action was proscribed alongside two groups described as 'white-supremacist' movements, the Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. The Israel-Hamas war was triggered after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. The humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to rise, after a U.N.-backed food security body warned last week that the 'worst case famine scenario' is unfolding. 'Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,' the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on July 29. At least 197 people have now died from mass hunger, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. — Additional reporting by Callum Sutherland
Kuwait Times
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
UK police arrest scores of Palestine Action supporters
LONDON: Pro-Palestinian supporters hold placards and wave flags on Downing Street in central London, on July 19, 2025.-- AFP LONDON: UK police arrested over 100 people in London and other cities for supporting Palestine Action in a third consecutive weekend of protests over the government's decision to ban the activist group using anti-terror laws. Some 55 people were held at a demonstration in London's Parliament Square under the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying signs supporting Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police said. The protesters held up placards reading: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Another nine were detained at a separate London march, and a further eight were held in Truro in Cornwall. Other protests were held in northwestern Manchester where 16 people were detained, in western Bristol where another 17 were arrested, and in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, police said. The rallies were organized by campaign group Defend Our Juries, which had said they were intended to 'defy' the ban. Since the Palestine Action ban kicked in on July 5, police have warned that expressing support for the group was now a crime, after a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop its proscription becoming law. The government announced plans for the ban under the 2000 Terrorism Act days after activists from the group claimed to be behind a break-in at an air force base in southern England. Two aircraft there were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.55 million) in damage. Four people charged in relation to the incident remain in custody. Palestine Action has condemned its outlawing—which makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison—as an attack on free speech.—AFP
New Straits Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
UK police arrest scores of Palestine Action supporters
LONDON: UK police arrested scores of people in London and other cities for supporting Palestine Action in a third consecutive weekend of protests over the government's decision to ban the activist group using anti-terror laws. Some 55 people were held at a demonstration in London's Parliament Square under the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying signs supporting Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police said. The protesters held up placards reading: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Another eight were detained at a separate London march. A further eight were held in Truro in Cornwall. Other protests were held in northwestern Manchester where 18 people were detained, in western Bristol where another 17 were arrested, and in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, police said. The rallies were organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries, which had said they were intended to "defy" the ban. Since the Palestine Action ban kicked in on July 5, police have warned that expressing support for the group was now a crime, after a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop its proscription becoming law. The government announced plans for the ban under the 2000 Terrorism Act days after activists from the group claimed to be behin.d a break-in at an air force base in southern England. Two aircraft there were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.55 million) in damage. Four people charged in relation to the incident remain in custody. Palestine Action has condemned its outlawing -- which makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison -- as an attack on free speech. - AFP
L'Orient-Le Jour
19-07-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
UK police arrest scores of Palestine Action supporters
U.K. police arrested scores of people in London and other cities for supporting Palestine Action in a third consecutive weekend of protests over the government's decision to ban the activist group using anti-terror laws. Some 55 people were held at a demonstration in London's Parliament Square under the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying signs supporting Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police said. The protesters held up placards reading, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Another eight were detained at a separate march in London. A further eight were held in Truro in Cornwall. Other protests were held in northwestern Manchester, where 18 people were detained, in western Bristol, where 17 more were arrested, and in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, police reported. The campaign group organized the rallies Defend Our Juries, which had stated that they were intended to "defy" the ban. Since the Palestine Action ban kicked in on July 5, police have warned that expressing support for the group was now a crime, after a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop its proscription becoming law. The government announced plans for the ban under the 2000 Terrorism Act, days after activists from the group claimed to be behind a break-in at an air force base in southern England. Two aircraft were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.55 million) in damage. Four people charged in relation to the incident remain in custody. Palestine Action has condemned its outlawing — which makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison — as an attack on free speech.
Daily Tribune
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Rallies spark UK wave of arrests
Police in several British cities yesterday arrested scores of people for supporting Palestine Action, following a second consecutive weekend of protests over the government's decision to the group using anti-terror laws. Campaign group Defend Our Juries, which had announced the rallies 'to defy' the ban, said 86 people had been arrested across five different cities. They included four vicars, a lawyer, a civil servant, a social worker, a mechanical engineer and the daughter of a Polish resistance fighter, as well as veterans of the 1960s civil rights movement, the group added. Accusations 'We will not be deterred from opposing genocide, nor from defending those who refuse to be bystanders,' the group said in a statement, referring to accusations levelled against Israel over its war in Gaza. The protesters were also taking a stand 'against the corruption of democracy and the rule of law', it added. In London, the Metropolitan Police said its officers had made 41 arrests for 'showing support for a proscribed organisation'. Assault Another person was arrested for common assault, the force added. Footage showed police moving in on a small group of protesters displaying signs supporting Palestine Action. They had gathered at lunchtime at the steps of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square. Offence Greater Manchester Police arrested 16 people, while officers in the Welsh capital Cardiff detained 13, all for the same offence under the 2000 Terrorism Act, both forces confirmed. 'South Wales Police supports the right for people to make their voices heard through protest providing it is done lawfully,' said a police statement. The other arrests occurred in the Northern Irish city Londonderry - also known as Derry - and Leeds, in northern England, according to Defend Our Juries. They come a week after 29 similar arrests at protests staged last Saturday, mainly in London. Crime Since the Palestine Action ban kicked in on July 5, police have warned that expressing support for the group was now a crime, after a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop its proscription becoming law. The government announced plans for the ban under the 2000 Terrorism Act days after the group's activists claimed to be behind a break-in at an air force base in southern England. Two aircraft there were sprayed with red paint, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.55 million) in damage.
