Hundreds of people gathered in parliament square to oppose the ban of Palestine Action
A mass direct action against the ban of Palestine Action has shamed Labour home secretary Yvette Cooper. Over 1,000 people took part in the mass act of defiance in parliament square on Saturday.
Activists gathered in the square outside the Houses of Parliament with blank placards. When Big Ben struck 1pm they wrote, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” and sat in silence.
Many others gathered around to show solidarity with those holding those signs. It is illegal to be “a member of or invite support for” a group banned under the Terrorism Act.
The Metropolitan Police boasted that they made 532 arrests.
Moazzam Begg, a former Guantanamo prison camp detainee and senior director of the Cage International human rights group, took part in the action and was arrested. So was former Socialist Worker editor Charlie Kimber.
Moazzam told Socialist Worker before his arrest, “The Israeli government has announced plans to annex Gaza. It wants to start concentrating people into what can only be described as a concentration camp.
“It has been charged with some of the worst crimes in the world—the crimes of apartheid and genocide.
“Israel is being condemned by its allies. The proscription of Palestine Action by the government sends the complete opposite message. The government is condemning Israel, but arresting its own citizens who oppose it.”
Huge numbers of people are appalled at the way Palestine Action has been treated by the state.
They go far beyond the numbers who have taken part in the non-violent direct action group’s activities.
They are demanding that the government’s complicity in genocide is punished, not those who stand up against it.
Liz, who was waiting with a blank placard for the action to start, pointed to the government’s double standards. She told Socialist Worker, “As a woman, our right to vote wasn’t won just by people writing to politicians.
“It’s hypocritical to celebrate the suffrage of women and proscribe a group that’s taking action.”
She added that “most of the population are against this so it’s a massive overreach” by the state.
Another placard referred to the Suffragettes, saying, “Sylvia Pankhurst would have sat in the square.”
Author David Wilson was there because of the “genocide that is happening in front of our eyes and with the support of our government”. He explained that he opposes Israel and “the system that gave us Israel.”
As he was speaking, a police officer walked past and was overheard talking about arresting everyone with a Palestine Action placard.
David said, “It’s absurd—we are living in 1984. People who are against genocide are called terrorists.”
Police moved in at 1pm, starting by targeting a group of retired health workers for arrest. They arrested a Jewish activist with a placard reading, “Never again,” and wheeled away someone in a wheelchair.
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They imposed a “Section 3 Order” on the square and attempted to prevent people clearly identified as journalists from entering.
Groups of onlookers came to support those taking the action and to chant and bang pots and pans. They included some who had drifted in from the huge national march for Palestine taking place up the street.
At 2pm—the official end of the direct action—some of the people with signs stood up and were cheered. But several hundred more stayed and continued to face arrest. By 3pm, the cops had arrested 150 people.
Alec told Socialist Worker he felt proud to take part and to feel like part of a larger group. He added, “Working people risk their jobs by getting arrested. But we are seeing hundreds of pensioners here. We don’t care. We will be back here week after week.
“The Metropolitan police said they would arrest everyone. But it took so many cops to get people out. No way. They failed.”
Defend Our Juries said, “The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing ‘terrorism’ offences, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home.
“This is a major embarrassment to Yvette Cooper. It further undermines the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government’s own crimes.”
“We will keep going. Our numbers are already growing for the next wave of action in September.”
By 4pm, hundreds had gathered at Great Scotland Yard where police had taken those arrested for processing.
We must avoid a situation again where tens of thousands march and mass direct action faces state repression at the same time—but the two do not meet.
Mass marches and militant action make for a powerful combination. The movement has the power to take on the Labour government’s support for Israel’s genocide and its attacks on the right to protest.
But only action can make Labour deliver
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