Watch this artful piece by talented filmmaker Jo Syz – a record of the ‘Lift The Ban’ protests which took place in Parliament Square last month on the 6th September.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a total of 857 people were arrested over a period of around 11 hours under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. In one of the biggest acts of civil disobedience in British history, ordinary people faced the risk of a terrorism charge for merely holding up a banner with the words “I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action”.
New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood appeared on social media commending the police on their massive operation. She has given no sign of revisiting the subject of the protest – the controversial terrorism proscription of direct action anti-arms campaign Palestine Action.
Police claimed there were high levels of violence towards them, but have been unable to provide any video evidence to support what the organisers have said are simply ‘smears’. There are however numerous clips and Press Association images that appear to show heavy-handed policing, and reports of assaults on members of the press.
The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, has been given permission in the High Court for a judicial review of Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group, but we await the Appeal Court’s ruling following a government challenge heard last week. For that reason, and despite the high number of arrests, with more than a hundred people so far actually charged with a terrorist offence, the next ‘Lift The Ban’ protest is planned to take place from 1pm in Trafalgar Square tomorrow.Yesterday, a horrific attack took place against the Jewish community in Manchester, which appears to be a pre-meditated act of terrorism. The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan wrote to organisers asking them to call off tomorrow’s protest in order to relieve pressure on police and Counter-Terrorism officers.
A public response from Defend Our Juries utterly and unreservedly condemns the Manchester attack, saying that it is what genuine terrorism looks like. They refer to unanswered letters sent to Commissioner Mark Rowley in which they suggest he choose to exercise his discretion, listen to Amnesty International’s advice that the arrests fall foul of international law and fundamental rights, and allow the protest to take place peacefully without arrest. The response explains that the protest must still go ahead for the protection of our democracy, and urges the Assistant Commissioner to prioritise protecting the community and deploying counter-terrorism resources properly rather than curbing the fundamental right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.
