In a statement to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that Palestine Action had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage”.
She added that the government would not tolerate those who put the UK’s defence enterprise at risk.
That was a reference to an incident which involved the group breaking into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, spray-painting two military planes red – an incident that Cooper called “disgraceful”.
The proscription of the group is a significant escalation and has kicked off a major debate about civil liberties – if approved, it will be the first time a direct action group of this sort would be proscribed alongside organisations like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The group, which targets Israeli weapons facilities through property damage and disruption rather than violence against people, would see not only membership but any expression of support – from social media posts to wearing logos – become punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
For critics, the expansion of what constitutes “terrorism” threatens to chill all forms of dissent, setting a dangerous precedent where civil disobedience that embarrasses the government or challenges its foreign policy can be redefined as extremism. At the very least, it is likely to chill pro-Palestinian activism.
Read the full story on Wonkhe.
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