The revolt over the proscription of Palestine Action runs deep (Photo: DefendourJuries on X)
The British state is ramping up repression against the Palestine movement—but is facing a backlash.
Six Defend Our Juries (DOJ) supporters will appear for a hearing at the Old Bailey court in London under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They are charged with 42 counts, each carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years.
Police raided the homes of six activists ahead of the DOJ mass act of defiance against the ban of Palestine Action, a non-violent direct action group, earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Kneecap’s Mo Chara—Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh—will also appear at Woolwich Magistrates’ Court on Friday. He is charged with a terror offence for allegedly supporting Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah by waving a flag on stage.
Ahead of the court appearance, Kneecap said, “We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is. It is a distraction from war crimes that the British state still supports every single day in Gaza.”
The court cases come the day after the Labour government tried to block a judicial review into its proscription of Palestine Action. It is appealing a High Court decision in July that cleared the way for a review of the ban this autumn.
Judges at the Court of Appeal heard the case on Thursday and are set to rule next month.
The Home Office is desperate to stop a judicial review, which looks into the lawfulness of how a decision was made, and send the case to the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC).
There are important differences between the two. If the ban was quashed through a judicial review, parliament would have no say in the ruling.
And it would mean that those charged with terror offences because of the prescription of Palestine Action could have them dropped quite quickly.
This would humiliate Keir Starmer’s embattled Labour government and boost the whole Palestine solidarity movement.
Alternatively, if it was taken to the POAC, parliament would be able to overturn the decision. It would also take much longer to overturn those charged with terror offences.
Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, representing Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori, told the court that then home secretary Yvette Cooper “failed to properly consider” the impact of the ban “on people of Palestinian heritage or nationality in Britain”.
Ghrálaigh said the ban is “more likely to impact Palestinians in terms of arrests, in terms of chilling speech, in terms of their sense of place or contribution in British society” than others.
All this amounts to a failure to uphold the Public Sector Equality Duty of the Equalities Act.
She added that the ban was a “sinister, chilling and authoritarian” move against a group seeking to prevent “atrocity crimes” in Palestine.
The British state is in a crisis over its repression of the Palestine movement. Over 1,600 people have been arrested for defying the ban by holding placards that read, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
DOJ plans another mass act of defiance in London on 4 October. Palestine and anti-war activists and trade unionists should join the witness circle in solidarity on the day.
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