Pressure Mounts on Yvette Cooper Over Plans to Ban Palestine Action

The home secretary is facing pressure to drop plans to ban Palestine Action as UN experts and lawyers warn that proscribing the group could blur the line between protest and terrorism.

In letters to Yvette Cooper, the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) lawyers’ group and the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers cautioned against setting a dangerous precedent by banning the group.

UN special rapporteurs emphasized that protests causing property damage, without intent to harm people, should not be labeled as terrorism.

Recently, two individuals were arrested after Palestine Action blocked an Israeli defense company’s UK headquarters.

Activists covered the entrance in red paint to symbolize Palestinian suffering.

The Netpol lawyers’ group, in a letter to the Guardian, highlighted the threat to civil liberties posed by banning direct-action protest groups.

The Haldane Society letter, signed by prominent figures, warned of the risks of proscribing peaceful groups and the potential misuse of such powers by future governments.

The UN experts stressed that property damage alone should not be considered terrorism.

The Home Office referred to Cooper’s statement justifying the proposed ban.