Narnia actress Tilda Swinton and Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes are among a number of high-profile figures who have signed an open letter opposing the Government’s decision to ban the direct action group Palestine Action.
The letter, organised by Artists for Palestine UK, follows an announcement by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that she intends to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror legislation.
The move comes after members of the campaign group broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed red paint onto two military planes.
If enacted, the ban would designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation - making membership or public support for the group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Joining Swinton and Margolyes in signing the letter are comedian Frankie Boyle, actor and director Ken Loach, and actor Steve Coogan
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Joining Swinton and Margolyes in signing the letter were comedian Frankie Boyle, actor and director Ken Loach, and actor Steve Coogan amongst others.
The signatories urge the Government to abandon the proscription and instead end arms sales to Israel.
The open letter states: “Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide. It is acting to save life.
“We deplore the government’s decision to proscribe it. Labeling non-violent direct action as ‘terrorism’ is an abuse of language and an attack on democracy.
“The real threat to the life of the nation comes not from Palestine Action but from the home secretary’s efforts to ban it.
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Palestine Action is now mounting a legal challenge to the government’s proposed ban
GETTY“We call on the government to withdraw its proscription of Palestine Action and to stop arming Israel.”
The letter was also read aloud by singer-songwriter Nadine Shah during her Glastonbury set on the festival’s Other Stage on Sunday, who performed in front of a backdrop showing images of destruction in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Palestine Action is now mounting a legal challenge to the Government’s proposed ban.
Lawyers for the group confirmed that the High Court has granted an urgent hearing to review the decision.
Lawyers for the group confirmed that the High Court has granted an urgent hearing to review the decision
PALESTINE ACTIONThe claim was submitted by human rights law firm Birnberg Peirce on behalf of Huda Ammori, a 31-year-old of Palestinian and Iraqi heritage and co-founder of Palestine Action.
At an urgent hearing held on Monday at the Royal Courts of Justice, Ammori’s legal team said they would seek “interim relief” in a further hearing scheduled for Friday.
If successful, this could temporarily block the Government’s move to outlaw the group.
A full hearing could follow in the week of July 21, where the court may determine whether the challenge to the ban can proceed.
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