UK arrests 83-year-old priest for backing Palestine Action and opposing Gaza genocide
The Reverend Sue Parfitt, from Bristol, was detained for holding a placard that read: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' She was among more than 27 people arrested on Saturday for acts of defiance against the proscription.
Parfitt's arrest has sparked widespread outrage on social media. One user called it 'the march of authoritarianism & crackdown on freedom of speech & expression,' while another questioned whether it was now illegal to call her 'a hero.'
Her friend, Jerry Hicks, demanded her release, stating: 'She is against genocide & that's not a crime.'
Another social media user said "Incredibly brave stuff here from Reverend Sue Parfitt. These are the people we will remember fondly when all of this is a distant nightmare."
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
The arrests came just after midnight on Saturday, as a government order to label Palestine Action a terrorist group took legal effect. Supporting or joining the group now carries a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had announced the ban following the group's admission of vandalising two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June. British police claimed that the damage totalled around £7 million. This could not be independently verified.
Palestine Action had attempted to delay the move through the courts. A High Court bid for interim relief was denied on Friday, and the Court of Appeal upheld that decision less than two hours before the ban was due to take effect.
MPs had voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to proscribe the direct action group, alongside the neo-Nazi Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement.
Human rights advocates have criticised the government's decision as a disproportionate response aimed at silencing dissent.
Since its founding in 2020, Palestine Action has targeted firms supplying arms to Israel, saying it aims to shut down facilities complicit in Israeli war crimes. The group denies any affiliation with terrorist activity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Hezbollah 'divided' over whether to scale back its arsenal amid US pressure to disarm
Hezbollah is reviewing a US proposal urging the group to disarm within a few months, Lebanese sources told The National before a visit by US envoy Thomas Barrack on Monday. The Lebanese group, which is under mounting US pressure and daily Israeli strikes, is internally divided over whether to scale back its arsenal, an informed source close to the matter told The National. The "carrot and stick" US plan could bring reconstruction funds and an end to Israel 's attacks. The increased US pressure on Hezbollah comes amid a major political shift in the Middle East, which has resulted in Iran 's proxies being significantly weakened since the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel's devastating war on Gaza prompted many of these proxies to launch their own attacks against Israel. On October 8, 2023, in support of its ally, Hamas, Hezbollah initiated tit-for-tat exchanges along the Lebanon-Israel border, which Israel later escalated into a full-scale war. The conflict ended in November, leaving Hezbollah, once Iran's most prized asset, significantly weakened, with much of its arsenal destroyed and parts of its leadership decimated. Hezbollah's disarmament, once considered a political taboo, is now on the table. In June, Mr Barrack, the US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, sent a roadmap to Lebanese authorities calling on Hezbollah to relinquish its weapons across the country within a few months, in exchange for financial support and a halt of continuing Israeli military operations. "Lebanon's hope awakens!!! The opportunity is now. This is a historic moment to supersede the strained confessionalism of the past," M Barrack wrote on X ahead of his visit. Hezbollah has been holding clandestine talks to decide on its future, Reuters reported on Friday. Still, observers have raised concerns about the US pressure tactics, stressing that Hezbollah's weapons remain a highly sensitive issue in a deeply fractured country, where the group continues to enjoy broad popular support. 'Carrot and stick' Mr Barrack's roadmap calls for a rapid disarmament of the group in return for the release of much-needed reconstruction funds for the war-ravaged country. It also calls for Israel's withdrawal from five occupied border points it seized in October during its aerial campaign in Lebanon, and a halt to Israeli military operations, according to the source. Mr Barrack described this approach to disarming Hezbollah as 'a carrot and a stick' in an interview with The New York Times. Under the terms of the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, brokered by the US and France, all armed groups in Lebanon must give up their weapons, starting from the south of the Litani River, which lies 30km from the Lebanon-Israel border. In return, Israel must withdraw from the areas in south Lebanon it seized during the war and halt its violations of Lebanese airspace. Lebanese authorities said they have dismantled almost all of Hezbollah's infrastructure near the border with Israel since the ceasefire. But despite this progress, Israel has continued to carry out air strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah and accusing the group of violating the truce, which Hezbollah denies. Lebanese authorities say Israel has violated the truce more than 3,000 times. Israeli bombardments since the ceasefire have killed least 71 civilians, according to the UN. The US-backed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has pledged to establish a state monopoly on weapons, while emphasising that this should be achieved through dialogue with Hezbollah, not by force. Hezbollah retains strong support within parts of the Shiite community, many of whom rely heavily on its social services in the absence of a functioning state. On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said the group was ready for peace and dialogue on the one hand, but "confrontation" on the other should such circumstances arise. "We are a people who do not submit, we will not give up our rights and dignity," he stated. Mr Qassem said the group remained steadfast, despite the threat from Israel and others. "This threat will not make us accept surrender," he said. 'How can we confront Israel when it attacks us if we didn't have them?" he asked, in reference to the pressure for the group to hand over its weapons. "Who is preventing Israel from entering villages and landing and killing young people, women and children inside their homes unless there is a resistance with certain capabilities capable of minimal defense?' Observers have cautioned that dismantling the group without considering local dynamics could further destabilise Lebanon. But 'for Washington, the internal complexities Lebanon faces in attempting to disarm Hezbollah are secondary; the focus is on safeguarding Israel', the source said. Mr Barrack's stance aligns with that of Morgan Ortagus, the former official who oversaw the Trump administration's Lebanon portfolio and is known for her pro-Israel position. 'The US's primary concern is state monopoly on weapons and, above all, the security of Israel,' the source added. The position is motivated by a desire to avoid a repeat of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which ended with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, calling for the disarmament of the group. However, Hezbollah began rebuilding its arsenal soon after. 'It still haunts Israelis,' the source said. Today, the situation is drastically different. Hezbollah is grappling with acute financial strain, a decimated chain of command, and severed supply routes following the ousting of its ally Bashar Al Assad in Syria, all amid broader regional shifts in the balance of power. Western diplomats have previously told The National that the intense pressure placed on the new Lebanese government, embraced by international powers, and marked by a significant decline in Hezbollah's political influence could jeopardise its stability. The US pressure tactics could also backfire, the source warned. 'There's a risk Hezbollah could feel cornered and respond defensively,' the source said.
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Israel agrees to Gaza truce talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was sending a team to Qatar on Sunday for talks on a truce and hostage release in Gaza, after Hamas said it was ready to start negotiations "immediately". But Netanyahu, who is due to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, said the Palestinian group's proposals for changes to a draft US-backed ceasefire deal were "unacceptable". Trump has been making a renewed push to end nearly 21 months of war in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said 42 people were killed in Israeli military operations on Saturday. Hamas said on Friday it was ready "to engage immediately and seriously" in negotiations, and was sending its responses to the truce proposal. "The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel," said a statement from Netanyahu's office. "In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages -- on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to -- be continued," the statement added. A man walks past a billboard bearing the portraits of Israeli hostages, held in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas, in Jerusalem on Friday. AFP Hamas has not publicly detailed its responses to the US-sponsored proposal, which was transmitted by mediators from Qatar and Egypt. Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told the media that the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Trump, when asked about Hamas's response aboard Air Force One, said: "That's good. They haven't briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza." The war in Gaza began with Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked a massive Israeli offensive in the territory that aimed to destroy the group and bring home all the hostages seized by Palestinian fighters. Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States secured temporary halts in fighting and the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 hostages taken by the Palestinian group Hamas' fighters during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. 'Comprehensive deal' The Egyptian foreign ministry said on Saturday that top diplomat Badr Abdelatty held a phone call with Washington's main representative in the truce talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss recent developments "and preparations for holding indirect meetings between the two parties concerned to reach an agreement". Meanwhile, at a weekly protest demanding the return of the hostages, Macabit Mayer, the aunt of captives Gali and Ziv Berman, called for a deal "that saves everyone", without exception. But recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire. A mourner carries the body of a Palestinian child killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a house, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, during a funeral at Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, on Sunday. Reuters The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. Karima al-Ras, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, said people were "happy that Hamas responded positively, and we hope that a truce will be announced" to allow in more aid. "People are dying for flour, and young people are dying as they try to provide flour for their children," she said. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. The group said two of its US staff members were wounded "in a targeted terrorist attack" at one of its aid centres in southern Gaza's Khan Yunis on Saturday. The Israeli military said it had evacuated the injured. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said Friday that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. Civil defence says 42 killed Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Israeli military operations killed 42 people across Gaza on Saturday. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. The Hamas attack of October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,338 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. Agence France-Presse
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Tony Blair Institute linked to Gaza plan condemned as ethnic cleansing: Report
The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) has been linked to a project widely condemned for proposing the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, involving a sweeping postwar redevelopment of the besieged Strip. Plans include a "Trump Riviera" and infrastructure named after wealthy Gulf monarchs, according to documents reviewed by the Financial Times (FT) and revealed on Sunday. The vision, outlined in a slide deck titled The Great Trust, was created by a group of Israeli businessmen with support from consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). BCG's plan assumed that at least 25 percent of Palestinians would leave "voluntarily", with most never returning. It remains unclear whether Palestinians would have any choice in the matter, but the proposal has been widely condemned as ethnic cleansing of the territory's indigenous population. The project aimed to transform the enclave which has been reduced to rubble by Israel into a lucrative investment hub. Central to the proposal were blockchain-based trade schemes, special economic zones with low taxes, and artificial islands modelled on Dubai's coastline. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Although TBI insists it neither endorsed nor authored the slide, two of its staff members participated in discussions related to the initiative. The Tony Blair Institute was founded by the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2016 to allegedly promote global policy reform and combat extremism. One internal TBI document — titled Gaza Economic Blueprint— circulated within the project group, outlined ambitious economic and infrastructural proposals. These included a deep-water port linking Gaza to the India-Middle East-Europe corridor and visions for artificial islands off the coast. This picture taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows an Israeli vehicle returning from the besieged Palestinian territory on July 1, 2025 (AFP) Significantly, unlike the Israeli businessmen's proposal, the TBI document did not suggest relocating Palestinians — a notion backed by US President Donald Trump and condemned internationally as a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza. While some ideas overlapped, the Blair Institute maintains it played no role in drafting or approving the BCG-backed presentation. Initially, TBI denied any involvement, with a spokesperson telling the FT: "Your story is categorically wrong... TBI was not involved in the preparation of the deck.' However, after the FT presented evidence of a 12-person message group that included TBI staff, BCG consultants, and Israeli organisers, the institute acknowledged its staff had been aware of and present during related discussions. "We have never said TBI knew nothing about what this group was working on," the spokesperson clarified. TBI claims it was in a "listening mode" and that its internal paper was one of many analyses of postwar scenarios being explored. Blair was on 'listening mode' The group behind the proposal includes high-profile Israeli tech investors such as Liran Tancman and venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg. Both reportedly played a role in setting up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). GHF's credibility has been marred by controversy. The chaotic rollout of the programme has seen at least 700 Palestinians killed and more than 4,000 wounded by Israeli forces while trying to access aid. Phil Reilly, whom Middle East Eye previously reported served as a senior adviser at BCG for eight years and began discussing Gaza aid with Israeli civilians while still in that role in early 2024, met with Tony Blair in London earlier this year. TBI said Reilly requested the meeting and described Blair's involvement as limited: "Again, Mr Blair listened. But as you know, TBI is not part of GHF." A British charity associated with former prime minister Tony Blair displays a map on its website including the occupied Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of Israel. Palestinian men carry the body of a person reportedly killed while waiting for aid delivery, outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, on July 3, 2025 (AFP) This is not the first time Blair or his foundation has faced controversy. He serves as an honorary patron of the UK branch of Israel's Jewish National Fund (JNF), which has faced heavy criticism for its activities — including donating £1m to what it described as 'Israel's largest militia' and erasing Palestine from its official maps. TBI has also received money from a financial fraudster linked with illegal Israeli settlements and an American Islamophobic network. A source previously told the Financial Times that GHF had received a $100m pledge from an unnamed country. The 30-page deck, shared with US officials and other regional stakeholders, proposed placing Gaza's public land into a trust managed under Israeli oversight until the territory is 'demilitarised and deradicalised'. Private landowners would be offered digital tokens in exchange for their plots, with the promise of permanent housing. The proposal listed ten 'Mega Projects', including infrastructure named after Gulf leaders — the 'MBS Ring' and 'MBZ Central' — and aimed to attract major international companies such as Tesla, Amazon, and IKEA. According to BCG's projections, the initiative could raise Gaza's economic value from '$0 today' to $324 billion.
