The High Court has ruled that it was unlawful for the Government to proscribe Palestinian Action as a terrorist organisation last year. I agree with the ruling.
I say that as someone who is not a fan of Palestinian Action. I’m broadly pro Israel. They may have taken some wrong actions over the past couple of years and should be held to account but they are the only democratic country in the region and have been responding to a horrific atrocity committed against them.
Palestinian Action have committed criminal damage as part of their campaign against Israel additionally, over the past couple of years, we have been subject to weekly demonstrations with antisemitic chanting that brings a firm of intimidation onto our streets.
But that doesn’t make people who wave Palestinian Action placards terrorists. The police should use all the powers available to them to deal with criminality. The Government may also determine that we need new legislation in place to give them more powers, for example there is a case to putting more legislative force behind the definition of antisemitism. There is a strong case for taking measures to bring demos to an end.
However, it is not a good thing when Governments use powers for something they were not intended to do. Anti terrorism measures are designed to deal with the likes of ISIS, Al Qaeda and the IRA. Given that the Government recognise that the specific powers cannot be applied to an organisation as grotesque as the Iranian Revolutionary guard that should tell them something. Further, if the anti terrorism measures apply to Palestinian Action, they would apply equally to the Suffragette movement.
To date, most people making the argument against proscription vocally have been supporters of Palestinian Action. In a case like this, it is important that those of us who disagree strongly with them make the argument too.
Faithroots 