By Stuart Graham – Glasgow TUC and Unison NEC member (pc)
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Glasgow TUC and Stop the War co-hosted a public meeting on Wed 30 July entitled Defend the Right to Protest, in response to the UK Govt’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action on 4 July, which has been widely interpreted as an unprecedented attack on our civil liberties, specifically our article 10 right to freedom of expression and article 11 right to freedom of association, by the use of the Terrorism Act 2000. There were over 100 people in attendance and the news that Huda Ammori/PA had been granted permission to pursue judicial review of the proscription order could not have been better timed.
Speakers on the night came from a broad coalition of organisations including: StW, CND, Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee (GGEC) Glasgow, Muslim Engagement & Development (MEND) network, RMT, Green Party and Glasgow TUC. Collectively speakers recognised the attack on the Palestine solidarity movement and the continued complicity of the UK Govt in arming the genocidal Israeli entity while protecting the interests of the arms manufacturers and the Zionist lobby in the UK. And despite the fact that those protesting the genocide are attempting to uphold international law, what we are witnessing is the inability of the British constitution to uphold that same international law and instead attacking the rights and entitlements of its domestic population as the easier option. However, what was also particularly notable on the night was the willingness of all those organisations represented on the panel of speakers and among attendees, to come together behind the banner of Glasgow TUC. Some of these organisations have not been willing to share platforms, however the need to determine our common red lines – opposition to the genocide and the starvation of the Palestinian people – is now acknowledged as the common cause uniting us all. As is the need to learn to use language better to inspire and connect – the right’s current, populist use of language is capturing public imagination, while the left is still arguing among itself.
Contributing speakers from the floor spoke about the change of position within Unite that has come about due to pressure from the rank and file, and not as a result of any change of heart from the Unite leadership. Example of UCU adopting a BDS position with respect to pension investments of the USS scheme and divesting from £80m of investments in Israeli assets in 2024. The need to tie these campaigning initiatives to anti-fascist organising against the far right/rebranded UKIP as well as wider campaigning for a Just Transition from warfare to welfare. The role of Scottish and UK trades councils was recognised by all given the more radical position that can be adopted by trades councils when contrasted to the position of TU affiliates at regional or national levels, and while STUC did provide a statement to be read out on the night, the need was recognised for influential trades councils in Scotland beyond Glasgow (Aberdeen, Clydebank, Dundee, East Kilbride & South Lanarkshire, Edinburgh) to be approached with a view to taking similar actions and leveraging the STUC on this.
There were at least 2 shop stewards from the East Kilbride Rolls Royce dispute from 1975 in attendance, who spoke about the need to engage more constructively with workers in the arms factories, such as BAE and Thales (Glasgow) and Leonardo (Edinburgh), as there are increasing numbers of them who are sickened by the ongoing production line for genocide they have become involved in, but require confidence and organising to be willing to take some form of action. It became apparent that there is a collective desire to march on these same arms manufacturers, but not to target the workers – all present indicating that they would respond to a Glasgow TUC call for same, suggesting active picketing/megapicketing a la Red Clydeside and Birmingham bin strike. However this will require outreach and engagement with parts of these workforces prior to doing so. Recognition that while Saturday demos can galvanise more numbers, they do not have the same effect as actions taken mid-week, which will stop work, stop profits and will force the genocide profiteers in both govt and industry to sit up and take notice.
Support was clear for Stop the War, GTUC and the other organisations present to lead on coordinating a Scottish wide national demonstration on Defend the Right to Protest – Oppose the Bans – Freedom for Palestine at the Scottish Parliament when it reopens at end of August/early September. The need for more visible actions to challenge the attack on our civil and political rights by exercising those rights collectively was welcomed, irrespective of the potential for arrest, to motivate and galvanise the wider public who are opposed to the daily doses of genocide by smartphone and the actions of a genocide complicit govt.
Derry & Strabane Council’s motion supporting the legal challenge to PA’s proscription, recognising the need to defend the right to protest and to force governments to uphold international law, that the Israeli state are responsible for terrorism and the crime of genocide, calling for military and economic sanctions on Israel, and demanding full access to humanitarian aid to stop the use of starvation and famine as a weapon of war, was passed by those present on the understanding that everyone would take it back to their respective organisations (TU, community or activist group) to adapt and adopt as required.
The Protest is Not Terrorism statement was also supported and its conversion to a model motion to enable TU branches/activist and community groups to bring it within their own structures to bring more weight and signatures to this growing initiative. Although not providing legal advice, the lesser known s.10 of the Terrorism Act was brought to the meeting’s attention in order to highlight the lack of clarity that exists within its overall legislative intent and that there is both a willingness and desire to test this through our ongoing efforts, but also that this is not risk free and does not automatically confer the immunity those willing to test it are hopeful it will provide. Oppressive interpretation by the police accompanied by a vagueness on the part of the judiciary means that in the absence of clear legal guidance, it will only be through directly using or challenging this provision that we may see it eventually defined.
The meeting ended with a show of collective confidence with group photos of all present holding up signs opposing the genocide. While no one opted to create the “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” signs that have seen hundreds of arrests over July, the majority of those present did hold up the Private Eye graphic on acceptable/unacceptable Palestine Action and signs with “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’s deproscription”.
There are clearly many activists who want to challenge this and know the risks involved but are willing to participate anyway. There are varying degrees of commitment about the potential for arrest. However, given the potential risks to professional registration of many of the occupational groups represented (eg. doctors, nurses, social care/social workers, solicitors, teachers/lecturers to list just some) there is a recognition that this could be a motivating and galvanising force for trade unions to organise around in more familiar industrial territory.
People want and need more of these types of forum to help build the collective confidence to challenge the authoritarian moves of the UK Govt and make our movement and our class ungovernable.
Protest is not terrorism 
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