Palestine Action vote is assault on democracy

Democracy thrives on the right to dissent, to speak out against injustice, and to hold those in power to account. Yet today, that core right is under assault.

- Evelyn Tweed

On July 5, MPs in Westminster voted overwhelmingly to categorise Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, lumping a nonviolent protest group together with the likes of Al-Qaeda and the UDA. Palestine Action used direct action to disrupt the supply of weapons to Israel. This designation makes it a criminal offence to support or be a member of the group, carrying a potential sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

Wearing clothing that displays the group’s name or logo could result in six months' imprisonment or a £5,000 fine. Universities are being told to warn students that even displaying a Palestine Action badge could be considered a terrorism offence.

This wasn't in any party manifesto. The public were not consulted. The move has been condemned across the political spectrum. The United Nations Human Rights Council criticised the “unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as 'terrorist,” making clear that under international law, protest that causes property damage but does not intend harm should not be treated as terrorism.