radiofree.asia

Yvette Cooper called ‘vile hypocrite’ over Iran protest criticism

Under then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain became significantly less tolerant towards peaceful protesters. Despite this, Cooper has seen fit to criticise Iran for its treatment of protesters:

Personally, we think it’s correct to criticise any government which mistreats protesters. Cooper, meanwhile, thinks it’s one rule for us and another for her geopolitical enemies:

Yvette Cooper — a ‘vile hypocrite’

As reported, Cooper oversaw the proscription of Palestine Action (PA). This proved especially controversial because PA was protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. While the government maintained a normal relationship with Israel — the country committing genocide — it clamped down on British protesters who oppose the UK’s involvement.

Journalist Matt Kennard highlighted that this is especially troubling in light of who these politicians take donations from:

Since that action, protesters have come out with a simple message for the government:

I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.

Those arrested under Cooper include:

  • Elizabeth Morley, 79-year-old Jewish daughter of a Holocaust survivor. This weekend, police arrested her for the third time at a Lift The Ban action.
  • Muhammad Rabbani, managing director of CAGE International which campaigns against the misuse of terror laws.
  • Reverend Sue Parfitt, 83 year old Anglican priest. This was also her third arrest at Lift The Ban actions.

In response to these scenes, Amnesty International said:

It will never stop being shocking to witness hundreds of peaceful protesters being hauled from the streets into police vans.

Police chiefs have a choice about how they police protests. These arrests are in breach of the UK’s international human rights obligations and should not be happening. Arresting hundreds of people for peacefully sitting down and holding a sign is not the job of the police and is a waste of their time when they could be out helping people.

Amnesty has long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad, vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. Police responses to these peaceful protests only further confirm that our concerns are justified.

Many have commented on Cooper’s latest intervention:

 

Empire

Lest we forget, this isn’t Cooper’s first instance of one-sidedness:

Labour are criticising Iran while doing similar things in the UK to support the interests of US empire.

Don’t let them get away with it.

The politicians who come after the aborted Starmer regime need to understand that 20th century imperialism is a non-starter for a modern progressive party.

Featured image via Parliament

By Willem Moore

This post was originally published on Canary.