Ban on Palestine Action clears Parliament but faces legal challenge
A short time before, a so-called regret motion proposed by a Green Party peer criticising the measure was rejected by 144 votes to 16, majority 128.
By implementing this measure, we will remove Palestine Action's veil of legitimacy, tackle its financial support, degrade its efforts to recruit and radicalise people into committing terrorist activity in its name Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint
The ministerial order, which has already been approved by MPs, will make it a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it.
However, it is unclear when the ban, which needs final sign-off by the Home Secretary, will come into force as the group is mounting a court challenge to try to temporarily block the move with a hearing scheduled on Friday, pending further proceedings.
The Government crackdown comes after two planes were vandalised at RAF Brize Norton on June 20 causing £7 million worth of damage, in an action claimed by Palestine Action.
Four people have been charged by counter-terrorism police in connection with the incident and were remanded in custody following a court appearance.
Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint said: 'I will always defend the right of British people to engage in legitimate and peaceful protest and to stand up for the causes in which they believe.
'But essential as these rights are, they do not provide a blank cheque for this particular group to seriously damage property or subject members of the public to fear and violence.'
He added: 'We would not tolerate this activity from organisations if they were motivated by Islamist or extreme right-wing ideology, and therefore I cannot tolerate it from Palestine Action.
'By implementing this measure, we will remove Palestine Action's veil of legitimacy, tackle its financial support, degrade its efforts to recruit and radicalise people into committing terrorist activity in its name.'
Supporters outside Westminster Magistrates' Court, London, where four people were charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage following an incident at RAF Brize Norton in which two Voyager aircraft were damaged (Jeff Moore/PA)
But ministers have faced criticism over the decision to outlaw Palestine Action, with opponents branding the move as 'draconian overreach' and comparing the group to the Suffragettes.
The United Nations has also warned against the ban, with experts concerned at the 'unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as 'terrorist''.
In the Lords, Green Party peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb opposed the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
Her regret motion argued the ban undermined civil liberties, constituted a misuse of anti-terror legislation, suppressed dissent against the UK's policy on Israel, and criminalised support for a protest group, causing 'a chilling effect on freedom of expression'.
The legislation approved by the Lords also bans two white supremacist groups, Maniacs Murder Cult and Russian Imperial Movement, including its paramilitary arm Russian Imperial Legion.
The Home Office describes the Maniacs Murder Cult as a neo-Nazi transnational and online organisation which has claimed a number of violent attacks around the world.
The Russian Imperial Movement is an ethno-nationalist group which aims to create a new Russian imperial state.
Its paramilitary unit fought alongside Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine to advance its ideological cause.
It also runs a paramilitary training programme to support attendees to carry out terror attacks, the Home Office added.
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The Herald Scotland
37 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Bid to block Palestine Action ban to be heard by court
The motion could become law as early as this weekend once it has been signed off by Ms Cooper, which would make membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The move was announced after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident claimed by Palestine Action, which police said caused around £7 million worth of damage. At a hearing on Friday, Mr Justice Chamberlain is due to decide whether to grant 'interim relief' to Ms Ammori, which would temporarily block the legislation from coming into effect at midnight on Saturday as currently planned. The hearing is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice, with a further hearing to decide whether Ms Ammori will be given the green light to challenge the Government's decision expected to be held later in July. Ms Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, stating that the vandalism of the two planes was 'disgraceful' and that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'. MPs in the Commons voted 385 to 26, majority 359, in favour of proscribing the group on Wednesday, before the House of Lords backed the move without a vote on Thursday. Four people – Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Jony Cink, 24, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, and Lewis Chiaramello, 22 – have all been charged in connection with the incident. They appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday after being charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977. They were remanded into custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on July 18. Counter Terrorism Policing South East said on Wednesday that a 41-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender had been released on bail until September 19, and a 23-year-old man who was arrested has been released without charge.
Glasgow Times
40 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Hundreds of town centres to see more police patrols in crime ‘blitz'
More than 500 towns across England and Wales have signed up to the Home Office's safer streets summer initiative, which will run to September 30, with more visible policing and stronger enforcement to 'restore confidence in policing'. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said residents and businesses have a 'right to feel safe in their towns' but the last government left a 'surge' in crime. In a statement, she said: 'It's time to turn this round, that's why I have called on police forces and councils alike to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.' She said part of the neighbourhood policing guarantee includes investment of £200 million this year to begin the recruitment of thousands of new neighbourhood policing officers. Speaking to members of policing and business sectors at Derby County Football Club's Pride Park Stadium on Thursday, Ms Cooper said every area will have 'named contactable officers for residents and businesses to be able to turn to'. Ms Cooper said: 'It's one of the most important things to restore confidence in policing is to have those neighbourhood police back on the beat dealing with those very crimes that cause so much problem. 'And if we don't see the police on the streets, then confidence is lost. And I think that is what's happened for far too long. 'If shoppers don't feel safe, they will stay home. People will just stay out of our town centres, and that heart of community will be lost. 'I think these kinds of crimes have been dismissed for too long because crime erodes the social fabric that binds us together and keeps communities strong. 'We've made town centres the very heart of the safer streets mission for this summer, taking back town centres from thugs and thieves – at the heart of that is rebuilding neighbourhood policing.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visits Derby County FC's Pride Park stadium to launch the safer streets summer initiative (Phil Barnett/PA) Half a million shoplifting offences in England and Wales were recorded by police last year, up 20% from 2023. In a statement, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'We are on the side of local businesses, and our plan for change is helping create the right conditions for our great British high streets to thrive. 'The safer streets summer initiative will play a vital role in achieving this by keeping footfall high, communities and those that work in them safe, and the economy growing.' Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director of Boots, said: 'Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from Government and the police to strengthen shop worker protection.' Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales have developed local action plans with police, including in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Humberside, Devon and Cornwall.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Friday briefing: The court case trying to stop Palestine Action being designated a terrorist group
Good morning. On Wednesday, MPs including home secretary Yvette Cooper wore sashes to celebrate the legacy of the Suffragettes, whose methods included arson attacks, non-lethal bombings, and disabling railway lines. Then many of them voted to make wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt punishable by up to six months in prison, and membership of the group liable for a sentence of up to 14 years. The legislation is the result of Cooper's decision to proscribe Palestine Action. Today, the high court will hear a case brought by co-founder Huda Ammori asking for a temporary block on the order. If it fails, a group which pursues disruptive direct action aimed at buildings, equipment, and institutions rather than violence will be designated a terrorist entity for the first time. Cooper says that Palestine Action must be banned because it attacks the UK's defence industry, which is 'vital to the nation's national security'. For today's newsletter, I spoke to Martha Spurrier, a human rights barrister and former director of Liberty, about a new frontier in the UK's view of the line between disruptive protest and menacing force. This is my last newsletter for a while – I'm going on paternity leave, ahead of the imminent arrival of our, er, second edition. Aamna will be with you from Monday, and I'll be back in the autumn. Here are the headlines. UK politics | The MP Zarah Sultana, who was suspended from Labour last year, has said she will 'co-lead the founding of a new party' with Jeremy Corbyn. But Corbyn, who has not yet publicly committed to establishing a formal party, is understood to be frustrated at Sultana's unilateral announcement and reluctant to take on the title of leader. Diogo Jota | Jürgen Klopp and Cristiano Ronaldo led the tributes from across the football world to Diogo Jota after the 28-year-old Liverpool and Portugal forward was killed in a car accident in Spain. 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Speaking after a public show of unity alongside Keir Starmer at the launch of the NHS 10-year plan, she said she had been upset over a 'personal issue'. Yvette Cooper announced the decision to proscribe Palestine Action a few days after activists from the group broke into RAF Brize Norton and spray painted two military planes red. The home secretary called that incident 'disgraceful', and said it was part of a 'long history' of criminal damage that has 'increased in frequency and severity'. She said that the attacks had done millions of pounds worth of damage and sparked panic among bystanders, who had been 'subjected to violence'. But she did not suggest that Palestine Action is a group devoted to violence as the mechanism for securing its political aims, because it isn't. The proscription order was voted through parliament this week – but doesn't come into force until Saturday. Here's what you need to know. What's at stake in today's hearing? At the high court today, Huda Ammori will seek an interim order from the judge on the case, Martin Chamberlain, preventing Cooper's decision from taking effect until a court makes a decision on a judicial review. It is not a full examination of the substantive issues raised by the case, Martha Spurrier said. 'It will probably be focused on questions of process: does the complainant understand why the order was made? Has she been given the underlying evidence and the reasons? Has the process been fair, and have the right people been consulted? 'Part of it will be about creating the legal mood music for the judge,' she added. 'This has all happened very fast, and the level of the debate has not really been proportionate to the seriousness and novelty of the change, and so they will hope that the judge will find it more attractive to press pause and ventilate the issues thoroughly in court in a few weeks time.' The government, for its part, is likely to argue that the threat posed by Palestine Action is so serious and immediate that the UK's national security requires an instant response. If they succeed, the order will take effect on Saturday and place Palestine Action alongside the likes of Islamic State, al-Qaida, and the neo-Nazi group National Action. Here are some of the consequences. (For more detail, see Netpol's useful breakdown.) Membership or encouraging others to support the group will become a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Informal expressions of support, including through clothes and banners, will become a criminal offence that could attract a six-month prison sentence. (None of this would apply retrospectively, and challenging or protesting the ban itself would still be allowed.) Organising or attending meetings of as few as three people would be banned along with fundraising or providing logistical support. Payment platforms would face investigation if they facilitated donations. Intelligence services and police would not be granted new powers of surveillance and infiltration directly, but proscription would likely increase resources flowing to monitoring suspected members of the group and might strengthen the case for warrants. Can the proscripton order still be overturned if the government wins today? If the government prevails, that is not the end of the story – but the route to overturning the ban becomes significantly harder. 'The minute the order is effective it is strengthened by being the status quo,' Spurrier said. 'The deference shown to the government on national security issues is enormous.' Should the case enter the appeals process, the first route is to the home secretary, whose view seems fairly predictable. After that it enters the legal system – but rather than being heard in open court, the case might end up in closed hearings, where Palestine Action would be represented by special advocates under severe limits on what they can share with their clients. For that to happen, the government would have to demonstrate that it has evidence which presents a national security risk to share publicly. If they succeed, the challenge for Palestine Action becomes incredibly steep, because they will only hear the parts of the case against them that have been agreed by the court not to present a national security risk. 'You can't answer the specific allegations, whether by saying I wasn't there on that date, or if you think our modus operandi is X or Y I can prove that it's not,' Spurrier said. 'It's the special advocate's job to make the strongest case they can in the absence of their client being able to give them instructions – but fundamentally they are working with both hands tied behind their back.' Is this a new frontier in the definition of terrorism? In the 1990s, Greenpeace was involved in a number of radical direct actions, like occupying the Brent Spar oil platform so it couldn't be disposed of in the sea, and destroying a field of genetically-modified maize. When the terrorism bill under which the Palestine Action decision has been made was going through parliament in 1999, Jack Straw, the home secretary at the time, dealt with the question of whether Greenpeace could be caught in the definition. 'I make it clear that the new definition will not catch the vast majority of so-called domestic activist groups,' Straw said. 'To respond to a recent example, I know of no evidence whatever that Greenpeace is involved in any activity that would fall remotely under the scope of this measure.' 'I don't think there's any evidence that parliament's intention was that groups like this would be caught by the definition of the terrorism act,' Spurrier said. 'This is the first time where the primary accusation is of property damage and not harm to people.' That obviously opens the way to wider applications in an era where direct action – often over the climate crisis – has become a major political issue, she added. 'It's really unclear to me what the principled distinction would be if Just Stop Oil began another wave of damage to property. There would surely be at the very least a political conversation about whether they should be proscribed.' Crucially, there are already plenty of laws in place for which members of groups like Palestine Action can be prosecuted for criminal damage – and which do not involve imposing the draconian restrictions of proscription. That is part of a wider political shift in the definition of acceptable protest, Spurrier said. 'I remember giving evidence to MPs about this a few years ago – and it was so noticeable that the fault line, which had always been peaceful or not peaceful, had moved – and suddenly it was disruptive or not disruptive. I had MPs saying to me that if it got in the way of the school run surely it should be banned. So there has been a paradigm shift.' What will it mean in practice? If the ban goes ahead, 'I don't expect you'll see white grannies being carted away for carrying a Palestine Action sign,' Spurrier said. 'They will be astute in who they arrest and who they prosecute. But you will see communities of colour bearing the brunt of it in the way they always do. And there will be a chilling effect – people who can't afford to be arrested because they will lose their job or they are just frightened by the prospect, simply won't show up.' There are reasons to worry about the broader consequences, including how the ban might interact with a bill going through parliament seeking to criminalise face coverings at protests and expanding the use of facial recognition. It might also lead to children being referred to the authorities under the Prevent scheme if they tell a teacher that their parents support the group, Spurrier said. 'There are so many pieces of architecture that can sweep people up for things that aren't criminal acts but speak to some kind of intention – and then you're in the dragnet.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion With all that in mind, it may seem extraordinary that the legislation passed the House of Commons this week by 385 votes to 26. 'I was really disappointed,' Spurrier said. 'But, whether you're talking about protest or asylum or criminal justice, the prevailing view is that a hardened anti-rights, anti-rule of law stance is almost a centrist position. So I was surprised that the numbers were quite so low. But I was never under the illusion that it would meet with serious resistance.' Holloman Lake, a 1965 wastewater pond in New Mexico, was a wildlife oasis until researchers tested strange shoreline foam and uncovered the devastating impact of forever chemicals on the ecosystem. Aamna A year after winning the election, Labour is at a low ebb, Polly Toynbee writes. 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And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
