The government decided on the group’s proscription after members damaged military planes at a Royal Air Force base in June to protest against the British military’s support for Israel.
Palestine Action has also targeted defense firms in Britain with links to Israel, including shattering windows and splashing red paint on buildings, and occupying roofs. These actions were part of what the British government has called a “nationwide campaign of property damage” since the group was founded in 2020.
Britain has seen a sharp rise in pro-Palestinian protests since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, drawing tens of thousands onto the streets, alongside a surge in reported antisemitic incidents.
The proscription of Palestine Action “does not affect the freedom to protest on Palestinian rights,” according to the British Home Office, the government department in charge of keeping the country safe. “It is about tackling a specific group linked to criminal damage and intimidation which has resulted in serious harm to individuals.”
But critics argue the ban is disproportionate and has a chilling effect on legitimate political speech.
Whitmore-Jones said he would protest “a fourth time, because I feel it’s the least I can do.”
His wife, Marji Mansfield, 69, a retired financial consultant and grandmother of seven, feels the same, despite being carried away in handcuffs by three police officers at the first demonstration in July.
It was “quite terrifying,” she said, but “to sit silent and do nothing is far worse.”
Police by law do not discuss the details of individual cases after suspects are arrested, and declined to provide information specifically about Whitmore-Jones’ or anyone else involed in protests.
‘Unprecedented scale’
Defend Our Juries, a U.K. campaign defending the right of juries to reach verdicts according to their conscience, which organized the demonstrations, estimated that 1,500 people attended the Sept. 6 rally near Parliament.
A total of 857 people were arrested under Britain’s Terrorism Act for alleged offenses, according to police, along with 33 others for separate offenses, “including 17 for assaults on police officers.”
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