British court upholds ban on Palestine Action; 117 detained

from the Institute for Public Accuracy

The British Independent reported Monday: “More than 100 people have been arrested in central London on suspicion of supporting a proscribed group. … Some 117 individuals were detained outside the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday, where judges ruled the ban of Palestine Action as a terror group was lawful. Protesters were seen being carried away by officers, some holding signs which read: ‘I support Palestine Action.’

“Monday’s decision overturned the judgment of three judges at the High Court. The ban made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Among the protesters escorted or carried away by police was an elderly woman wearing dark blue scrubs and a sign which said ‘Retired Doctor’ on her chest.”

Tony Greenstein is a leading Jewish anti-Zionist in Britain and founding member of Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods. His books include Zionism During the Holocaust and A History of Fighting Fascism in Brighton and the South Coast. He has written for numerous outlets.

Palestine Action had conducted property destruction against the Israeli weapons maker Elbit Systems. See documentary on the group, which is banned in Britain: “To Kill a War Machine.”

Greenstein said: “The Court of Appeal decision is reactionary, says nothing about the ‘lawful business’ of Elbit in providing the means to commit genocide and they have redefined ‘terrorism’ to mean opposition to genocide.”

He also notes the irony of the court citing Palestine Action terror ban to remain in place after High Court ruling the suffragettes — noting that they engaged in far more violent actions Violence in the women’s suffrage movement in Britain than Palestine Action did, including “attacking cabinet ministers and setting fire to race courses and churches.” (See trailer for the film “Suffragettes” with Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep.)

Amnesty International reported earlier this year: “Police have made over 2,700 arrests under the Terrorism Act, 2,000 of them for peacefully protesting the banning of Palestine Action in the U.K.”

Greenstein received a suspended sentence for his actions with Palestine Action before the group was banned by the government. He still has a “terrorism” charge pending against him by the British government.

Eugene media activist and teacher David Zupan works as an independent contractor for IPA. He is also director of the Speakers’ Clearinghouse, which helps progressive policy analysts find speaking engagements at schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.