Palestine Action ban, which took effect after midnight, makes support for group punishable by up to 14 years in prison
LONDON — An 83-year-old retired priest was arrested Saturday for defying a newly-imposed ban on the Palestine Action activist group in a case that has prompted anger and concern about freedom of expression in Britain.
Reverend Sue Parfitt from Bristol was detained in the early hours after holding a placard that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” She was among at least 27 people arrested nationwide for acts of defiance following the Home Office’s move to proscribe the group as a terror organization.
The ban on Palestine Action, which took effect just after midnight, makes membership in or support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
It follows the group’s admission to damaging two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton on 20 June.
The UK will, for the first time, legally redefine a non-violent protest group, Palestine Action, as a terror organization after a last-minute legal challenge to suspend the group’s ban under anti-terrorism laws failed at a high court Friday.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed late Saturday that officers were responding to a demonstration in Parliament Square and had begun making arrests.
“The group is now proscribed, and expressing support for them is a criminal offense,” it said in a statement. “Arrests are being made.”
Officers have arrested more than 20 people on suspicion of offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000.
UN experts, civil liberties organizations, cultural figures and hundreds of lawyers have condemned the ban as “draconian.”
They argue that it sets a dangerous precedent by conflating protest with terrorism.
Palestine Action said it is seeking an “urgent appeal to prevent a dystopian nightmare, which criminalizes thousands of people overnight.”
Another court hearing is scheduled for July 21, when Palestine Action will apply for permission to launch a judicial review to overturn the order. — AA
