Britain28 September, 20263 min read
Merseyside Police Arrest 160 Pro-Palestine Protesters Outside Labour Conference in Liverpool
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More than 160 protesters arrested outside Labour conference in Liverpool. Police warned supporting a proscribed organisation could be illegal, leading to arrests under Terrorism Act.
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Liverpool arrests at Labour conference
Merseyside Police arrested or reported for summons more than 160 people at a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool on Sunday, and the force said officers arrested 82 people on suspicion of wearing or carrying an article supporting a proscribed organisation. Merseyside Police said it estimated 180 people attended and that “not everyone present was committing a criminal offence,” while the protest was organised by Defend Our Juries and scores of people sat outside the conference centre holding handmade banners saying they supported Palestine Action. The arrests followed a confrontation in a Pizza Express in Liverpool city centre, where two activists confronted the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, during a meal and urged him to declare a genocide in Gaza and de-proscribe Palestine Action.
Ed Miliband said he was happy to discuss the issue but at another time, before protesters were ushered out, and Merseyside police said it makes “detailed and coordinated plans ahead of such events” to keep the peace and ensure the public are safe. Defend Our Juries said more than 200 people took part, and the group said one of those arrested was the 94-year-old human rights barrister Margaret Owen.
Miliband urged to lift ban
Protesters confronted UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband at a restaurant in Liverpool on Sunday, urging him to lift the ban on Palestine Action and recognize Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide as police arrested demonstrators nearby.
An activist told Miliband, “We would like you to deproscribe Palestine Action. We’d like you to declare genocide in Gaza,” and the activist added, “If you want to have a conversation with us, come and talk to us as we are being arrested.”
Merseyside Police reported more than 50 arrests as of Sunday evening, and the force said officers were detaining people suspected of carrying material supporting a proscribed organization.
The Anadolu Ajansı report said protesters deliberately displayed signs supporting Palestine Action despite the risk of arrest under legislation that can carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
Anadolu Ajansı also said Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack was arrested in Liverpool on Saturday while holding a sign in support of Palestine Action, according to protest organizers.
Crackdown framed as free speech
Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri called the arrests “of grandparents, teenagers and everyone in between for holding placards outside the Labour Party conference… a truly shameful attack on freedom of speech.” Moscogiuri said “Protesting is one of the most effective tools we have to make our leaders listen to us,” and she argued that consecutive governments had “crack down on our right to do it,” as police warned participants that displaying signs in support of a proscribed organization could be illegal. A police spokesperson said the force respected the right to lawful protest while seeking to preserve public order and safety, and the spokesperson said officers had “detailed and coordinated plans” for such events to apply the law “consistently, fairly and proportionately.”
Defend Our Juries condemned the arrests and urged the government to overturn the ban on Palestine Action, with a spokesperson telling AFP that the proscription was “illogical, unsustainable and immoral.” The arrests drew attention to the case of Margaret Owen, a 94-year-old human rights barrister, who was among those detained outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.