[[{"content_id":393574,"content_number":0,"portal_id":2,"lang_id":"en","content_title":"UK's arrest of founder of pro-Palestine network sparks outcry","content_rtitr":"","content_short_title":null,"content_summary":"The UK police have arrested the co-founder of a pro-Palestine protest network, along with several other activists, in what is viewed as a heavy-handed crackdown on anti-Israel voices across the country.","content_summary_fill":1,"content_body":"Richard Barnard, the co-founder of Palestine Action, was arrested over accusations of violating Britain&rsquo;s Terrorism Act after a series of speeches in support of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the cities of Manchester and Bradford.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBarnard, who is to appear before a magistrates&rsquo; court on September 18, faces purported charges including &ldquo;expressing an opinion that is supportive of a proscribed organization contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe 41-year-old has also been charged with &ldquo;encouraging or intending to encourage criminal damage.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe charges, as British media claimed, relate to a protest that was held on October 8 last year, one day after a surprise attack by Hamas-led resistance groups on the occupied territories in retaliation for Israel&rsquo;s decades-long atrocities in Gaza, and another protest in Bradford on October 11.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOn the same day, UK counter-terrorism police raided the homes of other Palestine Action activists, who had previously been arrested. Six activists were also arrested on August 6.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&ldquo;The state is harassing Palestine Action, in a bid to protect Israel&rsquo;s weapons trade. We will not be intimidated into allowing a genocide to happen,&rdquo; the group said in a statement.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBritain is a police state which charges anti-genocide activists with terrorism, whilst enabling the Israeli military to mass murder Palestinians.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBe on the right side of history and refuse to back down to a crackdown.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPolice arrested another pro-Palestine campaigner, Sarah Wilkinson, at her home on Thursday, with her son saying 12 police officers raided the house in the morning and arrested Wilkinson for &ldquo;content that she has posted online.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWilkinson has been an outspoken advocate of the Palestinian cause on social media and worked for the MENA Uncensored news organization.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe police have recently taken into custody other journalists and activists across the UK for their Palestine advocacy.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nRichard Medhurst, a journalist who has also adopted a pro-Palestine line, said earlier this month that he had been arrested at London&rsquo;s Heathrow Airport under the Terrorism Act.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe apprehension of Barnard faced widespread flak from social media activists and pro-Palestine groups.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nTim Anderson, the director of the Sydney-based Center for Counter-Hegemonic Studies, said, &ldquo;Pro-genocide British regime charges a third activist with support for the Palestinian Resistance.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nDavid Miller, a former professor at Bristol University, said, &ldquo;All disgracefully targeted by Counter Terrorism police for their opposition to genocide, which as we all know, the British state materially and ideologically supports.&rdquo;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nZionist regime launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory operation into the occupied territories.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAlong with the war, the regime has been enforcing a near-total siege on the coastal territory, which has reduced the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory into a trickle.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSo far, the regime has martyred at least 40,602 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents. Another 93,855 Palestinians have sustained injuries as well.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;","content_html":"<p>Richard Barnard, the co-founder of Palestine Action, was arrested over accusations of violating Britain&rsquo;s Terrorism Act after a series of speeches in support of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the cities of Manchester and Bradford.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Barnard, who is to appear before a magistrates&rsquo; court on September 18, faces purported charges including &ldquo;expressing an opinion that is supportive of a proscribed organization contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The 41-year-old has also been charged with &ldquo;encouraging or intending to encourage criminal damage.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The charges, as British media claimed, relate to a protest that was held on October 8 last year, one day after a surprise attack by Hamas-led resistance groups on the occupied territories in retaliation for Israel&rsquo;s decades-long atrocities in Gaza, and another protest in Bradford on October 11.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>On the same day, UK counter-terrorism police raided the homes of other Palestine Action activists, who had previously been arrested. Six activists were also arrested on August 6.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&ldquo;The state is harassing Palestine Action, in a bid to protect Israel&rsquo;s weapons trade. We will not be intimidated into allowing a genocide to happen,&rdquo; the group said in a statement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Britain is a police state which charges anti-genocide activists with terrorism, whilst enabling the Israeli military to mass murder Palestinians.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Be on the right side of history and refuse to back down to a crackdown.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Police arrested another pro-Palestine campaigner, Sarah Wilkinson, at her home on Thursday, with her son saying 12 police officers raided the house in the morning and arrested Wilkinson for &ldquo;content that she has posted online.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Wilkinson has been an outspoken advocate of the Palestinian cause on social media and worked for the MENA Uncensored news organization.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The police have recently taken into custody other journalists and activists across the UK for their Palestine advocacy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Richard Medhurst, a journalist who has also adopted a pro-Palestine line, said earlier this month that he had been arrested at London&rsquo;s Heathrow Airport under the Terrorism Act.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The apprehension of Barnard faced widespread flak from social media activists and pro-Palestine groups.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Tim Anderson, the director of the Sydney-based Center for Counter-Hegemonic Studies, said, &ldquo;Pro-genocide British regime charges a third activist with support for the Palestinian Resistance.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>David Miller, a former professor at Bristol University, said, &ldquo;All disgracefully targeted by Counter Terrorism police for their opposition to genocide, which as we all know, the British state materially and ideologically supports.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Zionist regime launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory operation into the occupied territories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Along with the war, the regime has been enforcing a near-total siege on the coastal territory, which has reduced the flow of foodstuffs, medicine, electricity, and water into the Palestinian territory into a trickle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>So far, the regime has martyred at least 40,602 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents. Another 93,855 Palestinians have sustained injuries as well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","content_source":"","content_url":"","content_date_start":"2024-08-31 15:19:37","content_date_event":"2024-08-31 15:19:37","content_date_event_start":null,"content_date_event_end":null,"content_show_title_slider":1,"content_date_last_edit":"2024-08-31 15:20:09","content_date_register":"2024-08-31 15:20:09","content_columns":0,"content_show_img":1,"content_show_details":0,"content_show_related_img":0,"content_show_slider":1,"content_comment":1,"content_score":0,"tag_id":0,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"uid":43,"eid":0,"attach_title":"UK's arrest of founder of pro-Palestine network sparks outcry","attaches":[{"sizes":{"150":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242_150_84.webp","300":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242_300_168.webp","400":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242_400_224.webp","600":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242_600_336.webp","900":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242_900_504.webp","1200":".\/cache\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242_1000_560.jpg"},"ext":"jpg","file_media":1,"token":3707721242,"files":{"original":{"url":".\/file\/2\/attach\/202408\/536175_3707721242.jpg","width":1000,"height":560,"size":0}}}]}]]