Hundreds of British Jews condemn ban on Palestine Action as ‘unethical’
Hundreds of British Jews have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper describing the proscription of direct action group Palestine Action as “illegitimate and unethical”.
A delegation is expected to deliver the letter, which has been signed by over two hundred British Jews, to Downing Street on Tuesday afternoon.
Lead signatories include authors Michael Rosen and Gillian Slovo, comedian Alexei Sayle and lawyer Geoffrey Bindman, who instructed Starmer when the prime minister was at the bar.
Andrew Feinstein, who served under Nelson Mandela in South Africa’s first democratic parliament, is also a signatory.
At last July’s general election, Feinstein stood against Starmer in the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, coming second with 7,312 votes.
Jenny Manson, a former Labour councillor and co-chair of Jewish Voice for Labour, is another prominent signatory.
“Opposing the brutality of genocide, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing taking place in Gaza and the West Bank, including taking direct action, is not antisemitic,” the letter reads.
“Nor is it terrorism. We consider the proscription of Palestine Action as illegitimate and unethical.” [Continue reading…]
The controversy over the ban on Palestine Action deepened on Monday, with police warning of mass detentions if a weekend protest goes ahead.
The Metropolitan police made clear it would arrest anyone breaking terrorism laws, as Downing Street urged people not to attend any protest. [Continue reading…]
Palestine Action’s co-founder has won a bid to bring a high court challenge over the group’s ban as a terrorist organisation, which has made membership of or support for the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
About 200 people have been arrested on suspicion of publicly protesting in support for PA since it was banned. They include:
Jon Farley, 67 — Farley was picked up by police at a silent demonstration in Leeds for holding a sign that made a joke about the government’s proscription of Palestine Action taken from an issue of the fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye. He was arrested under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which he described as a “pretty terrifying and upsetting experience”. Farley, who had never been arrested before, told the Guardian: “I clearly wasn’t any kind of physical threat.” The Private Eye editor, Ian Hislop, said the arrest was “mind-boggling”. [Continue reading…]