For a demonstration aimed at protesting the ban on Palestine Action (PA) as a terror organisation, it was a spectacular own-goal. For can there be any greater example of how PA excels in dangerous, destructive behaviour than the demonstrations that took place in London today – resulting in 466 arrests. A determined show of civil disobedience, it came despite the Met warning that anyone found to be expressing support for the group “ would be expected to be arrested” following the Government’s decision to outlaw the organisation last month.
Yet the rent-a-mob didn’t care. They thronged the capital, swarming into London`s Parliament Square – a deliberate show of anarchic disregard for the rule of law. This showcased the very reason why they have no place in the discourse of acceptable protest. Remember, PA’s ban came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in June – an incident which disabled some of this country’s scant military hardware and resulted in £7 million worth of damage.
Following this heinous event, home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was “disgraceful” and the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage”.
She was absolutely right to do so. Let’s be clear: Palestinian Action isn’t some ragtag bunch of well-meaning activists with a fondness for dramatic protest. Palestine Action are malevolent, aggressive, and committed to a campaign of theft, harassment, criminal damage. They make innocent people fear for their safety.
That’s why unequivocally, they fulfil the definition of terrorism ( unless you work for the BBC) That is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation (tick), especially against civilians (tick), in the pursuit of political aims (tick). Palestine Action? Tick, tick, tick
Even Keir Starmer – not exactly known for hardline rhetoric – has acknowledged PA’s history of break-ins, sabotage, and targeting of Jewish-owned businesses.
Which is the most disturbing part: if their beef is with the state of Israel, why attack British Jews – thousands of miles from the conflict? The implication is clear, and it’s chilling. This isn’t principled opposition; it’s antisemitism, plain and simple.And it costs too.
Only this week it was revealed that a vandalised painting of early 20th Century politician Lord Balfour, displayed at Trinity College, Cambridge will cost at least £24,000 to repair, (Balfour was of course foreign secretary in 1917 and gave his name to the pledge for Britain’s support for the establishment “in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.)
So PA’s claim they engage in “lawful protest” while defying police warnings and staging a mass demonstration only reinforces why they’ve been banned in the first place.
Let’s be absolutely clear: peaceful protest must, of course, remain protected, even when it involves the expression of uncomfortable (though lawful) views. But if that were PA’s approach, they’d lay down their hammers and paint pots, remove their balaclavas, and stop weaponising fear.
Doubtless after today, there will be those who cling to the woolly-headed notion that the ends justify the means – that the “nobility” of the cause excuses the chaos. It’s why defacement, destruction, and intimidation – carried out with no regard for the financial damage caused or the fear it inculcates – is believed to be defensible in the PA handbook.
What unfolded today was a calculated display from a group with a violent back catalogue and a taste for chaos The result? They didn’t disprove the “terrorist” label. They confirmed exactly why it fits.
