Britain · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
British Police Arrest Palestine Action Protesters Outside Labour Conference in Liverpool
Police arrested Palestine Action demonstrators outside the Labour Party conference venue in Liverpool. Protesters defended Palestine Action ban as free speech and opposed British government policy.
Whether arrests are framed as freedom-of-speech crackdown.
8 of 10 outlets skipped it: del Naja says he opposes the proscription and disputes the offence.
Anadolu Ajansı was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.9. See the score →
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Muslim Network TV
“Rights campaigners argue that the government’s use of terrorism legislation against people displaying political messages represents a serious restriction on freedom of expression.”Read the original ↗
BBC
“The force said it respected everyone's rights to protest lawfully while also aiming to keep the peace and ensure public safety.”Read the original ↗
Muslim Network TV and Palestine Chronicle foreground peaceful protest and arrests under terrorism laws, while the BBC emphasises police planning and lawful pro…
Arrests at Labour Conference
British police arrested protesters outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool during a demonstration supporting Palestine Action, a group the UK government has proscribed as a terrorist organisation. BBC News said more than 50 demonstrators were arrested after police warned protesters they were illegally holding signs supporting a proscribed organisation and told them they had been arrested under the Terrorism Act.B
Merseyside Police said it respected everyone’s rights to protest lawfully while aiming to keep the peace and ensure public safety, and it said it made "detailed and co-ordinated plans ahead of such events". Defend Our Juries spokesperson said it had hoped the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, would "do the sensible thing and bin the ban on Palestine Action" given public pressure and the resources required to enforce it.
Amnesty Calls It Shameful
Amnesty International UK chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri said the arrests were a "truly shameful attack on freedom of speech" as police detained people holding placards outside the Labour Party conference. Huda Ammori, one of the founders of the direct action group, had been given leave to appeal after the court quashed a previous decision on whether the proscription was unlawful.
The appeal would be heard on November 4 and 5 with an expedited decision expected, as the protest continued Defend Our Juries’ campaign to Lift the Ban on Palestine Action. British police arrested two demonstrators during the pro-Palestine protest outside the conference venue, after officers moved to arrest an elderly man sitting beneath a tree and then made a second arrest involving a protester holding a sign supporting the banned group.
Del Naja Detained Too
Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja was arrested under the UK Terrorism Act outside the Labour Party conference venue in Liverpool after he held a sign reading, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action".
Police officers asked Del Naja to leave the area because he was "committing an offence" and Del Naja replied, "I don't recognise the offence because under UK law, it is actually an offence to aid and abet any private individual or company aiding and abetting genocidal war crimes."
Del Naja replied "I don't agree with the proscription" before a second police officer said, "You're under arrest for supporting a proscribed organisation."
Del Naja co-posted a video with Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori and human rights barrister Michael Mansfield calling on British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to deproscribe Palestine Action, and it quoted them saying, "Today, in modern Britain, desperate citizens are being arrested, prosecuted and jailed for terrorism."