https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palestine-action-activists-arrested-first-anniversary-ban

SAVING LIVES is not terrorism, protesters chanted outside Scotland Yard on Sunday as they marked one year since Palestine Action was banned as a terror group.

An 84-year-old retired priest was arrested for showing her support for the proscribed organisation alongside 13 other activists standing against British complicity in Israel’s war crimes.

Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters in central London chanting slogans and holding banners, following a Court of Appeals ruling last month which found the ban on Palestine Action to be lawful.

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Sunday’s protest saw 14 protesters including the Reverend Sue Parfitt arrested by police for disobeying the ban.

The retired 84-year-old Anglican priest and former nun was among those who shouted their support for Palestine Action, standing on a soapbox holding on which the words “I oppose genocide” were written.

Leading the campaign against the ban, Defend Our Juries (DOJ) said protesters were arrested under section 12 of the Terrorism Act, “a far more serious charge than the section 13 charge for which those holding signs have previously been arrested.”

A DOJ spokesperson said yesterday’s protest marked “a substantial escalation in their campaign” called “Saving Lives is Not Terrorism.”

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Reverend Parfitt told the crowd through a megaphone: “So what can I do at my age and my frailty, very little — I do what I can to support the Palestinians.

“One of the best things that I can do is to support the organisation known as Palestine Action because they have been brave enough to smash up the weapons that are producing the genocide.

“So I ask you too to support Palestine Action.”

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Amnesty International UK marked the one-year anniversary of the ban warning that “treating protest as terrorism leaves the door wide open for governments to suppress protest movements in the future, while clamping down on solidarity with Palestinians right now.”

The human rights organisation highlighted that at least 3,300 people have been arrested “for holding placards” since the proscription.

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Original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/palestine-action-activists-arrested-first-anniversary-ban