Banning Palestine Action may be ‘escalation too far', says Labour peer

Plans to ban protest group Palestine Action would mark a very serious step that may go too far, a former shadow attorney general has said.Baroness Shami Chakrabarti told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it is 'one thing' to be a threat to property, or to be a nuisance, but it is 'another thing altogether' for a whole group to be proscribed as terrorists.She said: 'From what I can tell, this is a militant protest group that engages in direct action and that includes criminality, no question, but to elevate that to terrorism so anybody who attends a meeting, or who promotes the organisation, or is loosely affiliated with it, is branded a terrorist – that is a serious escalation I think.'The former director of the Liberty human rights group added: 'No doubt the Home Secretary will come to Parliament today and she will explain her reasoning and announce what she is actually going to do.'I think this is a very serious step and I would share the concerns of Amnesty International, of Liberty, my former group, and others that this may be an escalation too far.'The Labour peer's concerns come as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will update Parliament on Monday on the Government's plan to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base.The group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday morning.The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine.The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police.Meanwhile, a protest in support of Palestine Action is due to take place in London on Monday.The group posted on X that the protest location has moved to Trafalgar Square after the Metropolitan Police banned action from taking place at the Houses of Parliament.It comes as Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at the protest supporting the 'organised extremist criminal group' as the force imposed an exclusion zone around Westminster.He said that until the group is proscribed, the Met has 'no power in law' to prevent the protest taking place, adding that breaches of the law would be 'dealt with robustly'.In a statement on Sunday, Sir Mark said: 'I'm sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action.The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful.Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day.It is our responsibility to support those who defend us.— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 20, 2025'This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered.'Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft.'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest.'A spokesperson for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide.The spokesperson said: 'When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.'Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said he could not rule out the possibility of a foreign power being behind Palestine Action.The Business and Trade Secretary told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'It is extremely concerning they gained access to that base and the Defence Secretary is doing an immediate review of how that happened.'The actions that they undertook at Brize Norton were also completely unacceptable and it's not the first. It's the fourth attack by that group on a key piece of UK defence infrastructure.'The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'.Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group.Pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire (Palestine Action/PA)On Sunday, former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer said vandalising aircraft at RAF Brize Norton would not solely provide legal justification for proscribing the group.He told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'I am not aware of what Palestine Action has done beyond the painting of things on the planes in Brize Norton, they may have done other things I didn't know.'But generally, that sort of demonstration wouldn't justify proscription so there must be something else that I don't know about.'But former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said the Government was 'abusing' anti-terror laws against pro-Palestine activists, as tens of thousands of protesters marched in London on Saturday.Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.The Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe Palestine Action, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.'Former home secretary Suella Braverman also said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'.Palestine Action has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire.

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Western Telegraph

10 minutes ago

• Western Telegraph

Arrests after protesters clash with police as Palestine Action proscribed

Six people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and two on suspicion of obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, the Metropolitan Police said. One person was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence after they were allegedly heard to shout racial abuse towards the protest. When crowds remained in the area beyond Scotland Yard's ordered 3pm end time, four people were arrested on suspicion of breaching Public Order Act conditions. 'While the protest initially began in a peaceful manner, officers faced violence when they went into the crowd to speak to three individuals whose behaviour was arousing suspicion,' a Met Police spokesperson said. 'This sequence of events repeated itself on multiple occasions, with officers being surrounded on each occasion they tried to deal with an incident.' Police officers and protesters during a demonstration at Trafalgar Square (Jeff Moore/PA) The road at one corner of the square was completely blocked by the march, with a line of police ready to stop the participants from leaving the area. The protest had initially been planned to take place outside the Houses of Parliament, but the location was changed early on Monday morning after the Metropolitan Police imposed an exclusion zone. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on Monday afternoon that she has decided to proscribe Palestine Action and will lay an order before Parliament next week which, if passed, will make membership and support for the protest group illegal. On Sunday, Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said he could not rule out the possibility of a foreign power being behind Palestine Action. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he could not rule out the possibility of a foreign power being behind Palestine Action (PA) But speaking at the protest, Palestine Action spokesperson Max Geller said there had never been any evidence of such claims. 'I can't overstate how absurd and disappointing that accusation is,' he told the PA news agency. 'I want to make very clear that there has never been any evidence offered to support such a claim, and if we were allowed to be a legally recognised group, that man would be being sued right now for libel.' Asked about Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's comments, he said: 'It's really troubling that the head of the Met would pre-empt the Government and ban us from protesting (at the Houses of Parliament). 'It's a frustrating turn for democracy in this country.' Ms Cooper will provide MPs with more details on the move to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support it, in a written ministerial statement. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The act of vandalism committed at RAF Brize Norton is disgraceful. Our Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain and put their lives on the line for us every day. It is our responsibility to support those who defend us. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 20, 2025 The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. Speaking on Sunday, Sir Mark said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at the protest, but that until the group is proscribed the force had 'no power in law' to prevent it taking place. 'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest,' he added. 'Thousands of people attend protests of a different character every week without clashing with the law or with the police. The criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, in contrast, represent a form of extremism that I believe the overwhelming majority of the public rejects.' Police officers and protesters during the demonstration at Trafalgar Square (Jeff Moore/PA) Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group. Palestine Action has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising US President Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire.

The National

10 minutes ago

• The National

I was at the protest for Palestine Action – this is what happened

It was a strange scene when one considered that in precisely a week's time, this gathering would be categorically illegal. Expressing support for the group, which last week broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged planes, will become a criminal offence carrying a 14-year prison sentence. Wearing clothes or holding banners reading 'We are all Palestine Action', as some protesters in Trafalgar Square did, will also be a crime. Quite how ludicrous that situation is was laid bare on Monday during a peaceful demonstration demanding the Government reverse its stance. Supporters of Palestine Action who came out to central London were plainly not terrorists. They chanted, they got in minor skirmishes with the police, they banged drums; they are a million miles away from Daesh or Al-Qaeda. But in the eyes of the law, as of next week, Palestine Action will be considered equivalent to those organisations. (Image: Jeff Moore) Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the group's proscription a 'draconian assault on the democratic attempt to protest – and is a disgraceful attempt to hide the real meaning of violence: the mass murder of Palestinians'. He added: 'The UK Government is complicit in genocide and we see this latest move for what it is: an act of desperation from a government trying to shield itself from accountability.' Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie echoed those criticisms, saying: 'It's obviously absurd that throwing red paint on things could cause a group to be listed alongside Al Qaeda, Isis and Russia's Wagner Group, with membership carrying a 14-year prison sentence.' READ MORE: Arrests at Palestine Action protest as group to be proscribed He added: 'Labour's priorities are completely backwards – and will have devastating consequences for Palestinians under siege in Gaza and non-violent protesters here in the UK.' They were sentiments which found a voice at the protest, with demonstrators carrying signs expressing bemusement that arming a genocidal power was fine but campaigning to stop that was terrorism. (Image: Lucy North) That the protest, which lasted over three hours in 23C heat, passed without much incident was a credit to those involved. Some heavy-handed crowd control techniques employed by the police resulted in small scuffles and there were a few arrests that I witnessed. But given the circumstances, it would have been unsurprising had things properly kicked off. READ MORE: UK is not selectively applying international law, Labour minister insists Protesters found themselves in a farcical situation when they began to arrive at midday. The Metropolitan Police had imposed a large exclusion zone preventing the protest from taking place in Parliament, perhaps so as not to disturb a veterans' event taking place in New Palace Yard. Organisers chose Trafalgar Square as the alternative – but seemed dismayed to find on arrival that most of the space remained fenced off as crews took down the stage from West End Live, a theatre event which took place over the weekend. (Image: Lucy North) This resulted in the protest taking place mostly in the top right-hand corner of the square, which caused tension with the police who periodically decided they wanted to try and reopen the road, to little success until the end. One of the more absurd scenes came as pro-Israel agitators took refuge inside an abandoned bus parked outside St Martin-in-the-Fields Church. Quite how the situation with Palestine Action will pan out remains to be seen. If they become a cause celebre of the Palestine movement across the UK, will the police be able to enforce their proscription when campaigners deliberately voice their support to make a statement? In her statement to Parliament announcing her intention to ban Palestine Action, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the group had 'a footprint in all 45 policing regions in the UK' – suggesting that the crackdown might turn into a game of whack-a-mole. Cooper also said: 'It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully, including pro-Palestinian groups, those opposing the actions of the Israeli government, and those demanding changes in the UK's foreign policy, can continue to do so.' Some protesters on Monday suggested that Palestine Action was being banned because of their successes in frustrating the Israeli war machine. In that case, the UK Government's message appears to be: You are allowed to protest, but you're not allowed to change things.

Telegraph

25 minutes ago

• Telegraph

The Daily T: Why won't Starmer stand with Trump on Iran?

The coordinated bombing of major Iranian nuclear sites by American stealth bombers yesterday marked a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, amid fears that the conflict in the region could well now widen. Iran has promised 'consequences' after its most secretive nuclear site, buried deep beneath a mountain, was hit by the US. Camilla Tominey and Tim Stanley speak to the former Security Minister who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, Tom Tugendhat, who thinks Donald Trump was right to strike at the weekend, and that we should be concerned about Iran's nuclear capabilities. And as Yvette Cooper proscribes Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, Camilla explains why she thinks Yvette Cooper is right to ban the protest group. Watch episodes of the Daily T here. You can also listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.