Police say offences include assault and support for a proscribed group as 1,500 demonstrate in Parliament Square

More than 425 people have been arrested at the largest demonstration yet opposing the proscription of Palestine Action.

Defend Our Juries, who organised the demonstrations, said there were 1,500 sign-holders in Parliament Square on Saturday at a fresh protest in London against the ban. At the previous major demonstration last month, 532 people were arrested for taking part. Participants gathered in Parliament Square by 1pm, many holding signs that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

At just after 9pm, the Metropolitan police said it had made more than 425 arrests. The Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, Claire Smart, who led the operation, said: “In carrying out their duties today, our officers have been punched, kicked, spat on and had objects thrown at them by protesters. It is intolerable that those whose job it is to enforce the law and keep people safe – in this case arresting individuals committing offences under the Terrorism Act – should be subject to this level of abuse.”

  • 9bananas@feddit.orgEnglish
    62·
    2 days ago

    i mean…they DID trespass onto a military airport and messed with military aircraft.

    that was what they did, that got them the designation “terrorist organization”.

    the planes were about to fly weapons down to israel, afaik, so i think they were doing something worthwhile, but, you know…bad idea regardless.

    I don’t agree that this makes them terrorists, i think that’s some insane hyperbole on the governments side…but it does fit a very draconian definition of “terrorism”: simply defined a “using force to achieve a political goal”

    the entire thing is stupid. this is the stupidest timeline, after all…

    • OboTheHobo@ttrpg.networkEnglish
      8·
      2 days ago

      Sure they did something highly illegal, but anyone who thinks that illegally trying to stop a weapons shipment is terrorism is insane. If “using force to achieve a political goal” is terrorism, then nearly every country on the planet is a terrorist organization. Idk if thats like actually the UK’s definition or something but that is a ludicrous definition for terrorism.

      Terrorists use terror. Its why they are called that. Not the use of force, but specifically attempting to strike deep fear into a civilian populace. At no point was PA trying to make people fearful. They were trying to stop people from dying.

      • lemmydividebyzero@reddthat.comEnglish
        28·
        2 days ago

        anyone who thinks that illegally trying to stop a weapons shipment is terrorism

        I mean… The law of the UK defines what falls under terrorism. It does not matter what anyone thinks.

        If a pro-Russian saboteur sabotages a weapon shipment to Ukraine, it will fall under the term, too.

        If “using force to achieve a political goal” is terrorism, then nearly every country on the planet is a terrorist organization.

        The term is usually not used to describe nations. It’s to describe people or groups of people.

        • OboTheHobo@ttrpg.networkEnglish
          8·
          2 days ago

          Then the UK’s legal definition is fucking stupid. Terrorism is when a group attempts to strike fear and terror into a populace to coerce them. It definitionally requires violence and fear.

          • lemmydividebyzero@reddthat.comEnglish
            11·
            1 day ago

            Terrorism is when a group attempts to strike fear and terror into a populace to coerce them

            The Wikipedia article mentions different definitions.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism

            Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims.[1] The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants.[2] There are various different definitions of terrorism, with no universal agreement about it.[3][4][5] Different definitions of terrorism emphasize its randomness, its aim to instill fear, and its broader impact beyond its immediate victims.[1]