Arrests at protest supporting Palestine Action near Labour conference.
Police arrested many people during a rally in support of Palestine Action outside the Labour Party conference centre in Liverpool.
A group of about fifty individuals sat on the lawn outside ACC Liverpool, clutching handwritten signs that read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. Merseyside Police stated that officers “are in the process of making arrests on suspicion of wearing/carrying an article supporting a proscribed organisation.”
Several people were arrested by the Wheel of Liverpool, a municipal landmark. In July, the government banned the group under the Terrorism Act, making membership or support of the organisation a criminal crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Supporters applauded and praised the arrestees, some of whom were taken away by multiple officers.
Defend Our Juries, which organised the event, stated that “while the Labour party congregates at their annual conference, protestors are outside disobeying the unjust ban on Palestine Action.”
The group warned that supporters risked prosecution under the Terrorism Act for “silently holding cardboard signs that say ‘I oppose genocide.'” “I support Palestine Action.
It is urging the UK government to remove Palestine Action’s designation as a terrorist organisation. Keith Hackett, 71, stated that he was risking arrest because he was “deeply ashamed” of Labour’s activities.
“If they want to start turning the party around and win back the support they have lost, they need to stop their complicity in this genocide and end the ban on Palestine Action.”
Fellow protester Tayo Aluko, 63, stated, “This is a time for bravery, as demonstrated by those who came before us, so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today, which are now threatened.”
Police had to separate a group of roughly 200 protestors, flying the union jack and St George’s flags and brandishing placards protesting the government’s digital ID plans, from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
Following the daubing of paint on jets at RAF Brize Norton, former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper banned the group under terrorism statutes.
Police estimated the incident cost £7 million in damage. Earlier this month, the Home Office was granted permission to dispute a decision that permitted Palestine Action to appeal its prohibition under terror legislation.
Huda Ammori, the group’s co-founder, was granted permission to appeal in July after her lawyers argued that the ban violated her right to free speech.
The court denied an application to temporarily lift the prohibition, so it stays in place until a thorough review by the High Court in November. Cooper has justified the proscription, claiming that some Palestine Action supporters “don’t know the full nature” of the organisation.
Earlier this month, over 425 people were arrested at a protest against the ban in central London’s Parliament Square.
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