Picture: Angela Christofilou
The final tally for those arrested at the 9 August Parliament Square action in support of Palestine Action was around 520. That more than doubled the number of people arrested under the ban, but arrests continue.
Shami Chakrabarti has warned that the decision by the government to proscribe Palestine Action and then to double down on that decision could be a mistake “of Poll Tax proportions.”
The 9 August demonstration was far from a pitched battle between protestors and police. As the numbers carted away climbed higher, it became more like of a farcical ceremony.
The vast majority of protestors held identical signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. Many were elderly; some well-known, such as the poet Alice Oswald.
It would be hard to imagine an easier boost for Palestine Action. It would be hard to imagine a worse piece of publicity for the Labour government than front-page pictures of 60 and 70-year-olds being dragged away by police.
Irish novelist Sally Rooney wrote a piece for the Irish Times announcing her intention to donate royalties from all books and TV adaptations to Palestine Action. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Rooney that expressing such views in the UK would be illegal (Rooney lives in Ireland), and it would be illegal for the BBC to pay her royalties for the series they have broadcast based on her novels.
The decision to proscribe an organisation because some supporters threw paint on a plane is absurd. That the government is choosing to make this proscription its focus amid horror in Gaza is adding insult to injury. Workers’ Liberty demands that the Labour government back down.
Comments?We welcome replies, corrections and debate pieces. Contact us