UK to prosecute 60 more activists for supporting Palestine Action

This is believed to be the largest number of arrests linked to a single protest in London’s history.

Three Palestinian activists in the UK who were arrested during a July demonstration have already been charged earlier this month under the so-called “Terrorism Act.”

Police stated that convictions for such offences could carry sentences of up to six months in prison, along with other charges.

The group was outlawed as a “terrorist organization” in July after four of its members sprayed Royal Air Force planes with red paint.

“We have put arrangements in place that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary,” London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.

UK’s Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the latest decisions were the “first significant numbers” from recent demonstrations, adding: “Many more can be expected in the next few weeks. People should be clear about the real-life consequences for anyone choosing to support Palestine Action.”

The Labor Party was the driving force behind the decision to designate Palestine Action as a “terrorist organization.”

The police and prosecutors involved in the crackdown are closely aligned with the Labor-led government.

Palestine Action is a direct action movement committed to ending global support for the Israeli genocidal regime.

It utilizes disruptive strategies to target corporations, enabling the Israeli military-industrial complex, with the ultimate goal of rendering it unprofitable for these companies to continue contributing to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

The Palestine Action campaign primarily focuses on Elbit Systems, a company whose business model thrives on the destruction of Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Elbit is seen as the embodiment of the Zionist regime in the UK, providing the Israeli military with 85 percent of its drones, land-based equipment, electronic warfare systems, munitions, and more.

In addition to Elbit Systems, Palestine Action targets other weapons companies as well, such as Leonardo, Thales, and Teledyne.

The campaign is not limited to shutting down weapons manufacturers but extends to companies and institutions associated with them as well.

Human rights groups have expressed concern that the UK is misusing “anti-terrorism powers” against peaceful protesters.

UN experts urged the UK not to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist group, warning that labeling political protests causing only property damage as terrorism is unjustified.

They stressed that terrorism should be limited to acts causing death or serious injury, and that peaceful protests or dissent without harm should not be treated as terrorism, a stance supported by the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate.

Palestine Action has been banned because it has stated that its actions target the United Kingdom’s indirect military support for Israel amid the war in Gaza, where more than 61,800 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023.

Earlier this month, close to 500 peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters were accused of “terrorism” for condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and expressing support.

Since the ban on July 7, more than 700 people have been detained at peaceful protests.

Hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated in several UK cities over nearly two years, calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and urging the British government to stop all weapons sales to the Zionist regime