Divided UK police response to Palestine Action protests exposes 'chaos' of ban

Activists who staged nationwide protests in solidarity with direct action group Palestine Action over the weekend said that widely differing police responses “exposed a stark divide” and are “indicative of the chaos” unleashed by the British government's order to proscribe the group.

On Saturday, 86 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding signs reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,” at protests in cities across the UK, including London, Manchester, Cardiff, and Derry.

The government passed legislation banning Palestine Action as a proscribed group on 4 July, making membership of and support for it a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

A bid by the group to apply for interim relief to temporarily block the ban pending a judicial review was rejected by the High Court on Friday.

But according to the campaign group Defend Our Juries (DOJ), the policing response to the protests varied widely across cities, with police in Kendal and Derry making no arrests, while in Cardiff, the South Wales police treated the protest as if “it were a serious terrorist incident”.

Read more: Divided UK police response to Palestine Action protests exposes 'chaos' of ban