| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Proscription of Palestine Action | |
| Posted by: | Robert Fish | |
| Date/Time: | 07/07/25 13:21:00 |
| Democracy isn't working in this case, because there is no opposition to hold the government accountable. Why? Because, in fear of the right, the government has shamefully borrowed the clothes of the Tories, and, even worse, of Farage. Any intelligent person will recognise that Palestine Action, albeit a militant organisation, whose members cause criminal damage, is not a terrorist organisation in the plain sense of the word. There is no universally agreed definition of terrorism, but UN Security Council 1566 defines it as "criminal acts, including against civilians, committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury, or taking of hostages, with the purpose to provoke a state of terror in the general public or in a group of persons or particular persons, intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organisation to do or to abstain from doing any act". The UK government's much wider definition is clearly designed to stifle protest on an issue it finds embarrassing, namely criticism of its refusal to condemn Israel for the genocide in Ghana, and its unwillingness to stop the export of parts for F35s, despite the fact they are used by Israel to bomb Gaza. As I have to repeat for you to understand, the problem of the proscription order is not just that it designates Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, but it also criminalises people who have done no more than protest about the proscription. Welcome to authoritarian Britain! If the opposition won't call the government to account, we should be grateful for individuals who are prepared to stand up and be counted. |