radiofree.asia

Zack Polanski calls for an end to Palestine Action’s proscription

Speaking at the 2025 Green Party Conference, Zack Polanski has called on the government to reverse the proscription of Palestine Action:


Amnesty UK described Palestine Action’s terrorist proscription as “disturbing” and an ‘unprecedented legal overreach’. Following the move, there have been months of protests opposing the Home Office’s decision.

Polanski action

Polanski was addressing Green Party members at the 2025 conference:


In the video relating to Palestine Action, Polanski said:

We cannot talk about stopping genocide without talking about the draconian crackdown on the right to protest happening against those taking action for Palestine, using terrorist legislation to arrest hundreds and hundreds of protesters for simply holding up a sign.

The proscription of Palestine action must be withdrawn, and every parliamentarian – every… Labour, Tory, Reform, even Lib Dem, who failed to vote against it – need to hang their heads in shame.

This country has a proud tradition of protecting civil liberties. But once again, a Labour government… is cracking down on our rights – from terrorist proscriptions against protesters; to banning journalists from their conference; to diving into a rushed, evidence-free plan for digital IDs that will only discriminate, mainly against minorities.

The alarm bells of authoritarianism are ringing loud and clear.

Since the proscription, the police have been forced to arrest peaceful protesters en masse using terror legislation. Many of these protesters are older people and/or disabled:

Legalities

Speaking on the legal case against proscription, Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori said in September:

When leading legal figures, from the United Nations, Amnesty International to a former Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as voices from across the political spectrum – including the overwhelming majority of Labour Party members – have condemned the ban as authoritarian, this alarming attempt to prevent judicial scrutiny of her extreme and unprecedented decision will spark further outcry.

Just over 100 people had been arrested when the High Court warned of “a recipe for chaos” in the criminal courts if the legality of the ban was not determined authoritatively through a Judicial Review as soon as possible. Now that number has soared to over 1,600 people, with thousands more due to risk arrest in a series of mass actions starting on Sunday, it would be reckless in the extreme for the new Home Secretary to continue these delaying tactics.

This monumental waste of taxpayers’ money is pushing an already overburdened court system towards collapse as thousands of ordinary people – priests, pensioners, retired healthcare workers and teachers – are dragged through the courts for holding signs saying they oppose Israel’s genocide and the ban on Palestine Action, in entirely pointless prosecutions which may be unlawful.

Activist group Defend Our Juries claim the Metropolitan Police have now admitted they’re struggling to police the protests:

Featured image via Green Party

By Willem Moore

This post was originally published on Canary.