Trade union leaders are set to join speakers from Defend our Juries, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War Coalition at a public meeting in London on Thursday 4 September on the eve of another act of mass defiance of the terrorism laws in Parliament Square this Saturday. They include Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union NEU and Fran Heathcote of the civil service workers’ PCS.
Tim Crosland, spokesperson for Defend our Juries arrested on Tuesday morning in a police raid on his home, remains an advertised speaker, meeting organisers confirmed today.
Liz Wheatley, branch secretary of Camden Unison which is co-hosting the meeting with London Region UCU, PCS and NEU and the Protest is not Terrorism letter organisers, said:
“We have invited Defend our Juries to speak because we believe that trade unions have a crucial role to play in protecting freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest. We are appalled to hear of the arrest of Tim Crosland and other Defend our Juries activists and call for their immediate release so that we can hear from them in person at our meeting.
Amnesty International is right to say that this crackdown is a violation of international law and interference with freedom of expression. As trade unionists we know all too well that if you don’t stand up for justice when basic rights are threatened, the whole of society suffers the consequences.
It is particularly disturbing that the police have taken this action against peaceful protesters while weapons manufacturers supplying the Israeli military are arriving in London for the DSEI arms fair which takes place next week.”
The public meeting aims to “bring together trade unionists, Palestine solidarity campaigners and civil liberties organisers to discuss how we can unite and push back against repression while building a mass movement which can bring the machinery of war and genocide to a permanent halt.”
It is organised under the triple slogan: “Stop the Gaza Genocide – Defend the Right to Protest – Lift the Ban”.
Lindsey German of Stop the War Coalition, and one of the platform speakers said:
“These arrests are a despicable abuse of power more fitted to a dictatorship than a supposed democracy. Yvette Cooper claims that peaceful protest is allowed but it isn’t. It is not illegal to oppose the ban on Palestine Action but now DoJ activists are being arrested for precisely that. Cooper should realise that her repression will be met with more protest.”
The meeting comes as organisers of the national demonstrations for Palestine in London, Chris Nineham, Ben Jamal – who will also speak at the meeting – Sophie Bolt and Alex Kenny, face charges following a march in January.
Meeting organisers say: “It is clear that a concerted assault on our fundamental freedoms is under way.”
Ben Jamal of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and a speaker at tonight’s meeting said:
“Instead of acting to address the attempted erasure of the Palestinian people, the UK government devotes its energies to using authoritarian practices to trying to silence those protesting against genocide.
We condemn the proscription of Palestine Action. Non-violent direct action is not terrorism. We condemn the arrests of leading spokespeople from Defend our Juries – protesting against proscription is not a crime. We condemn the Met police’s continued use of conditions to suppress our national marches and the bringing of charges against four leaders of our coalition, and call for those charges to be dropped.
The Government’s attempts to silence opposition to its complicity in genocide will not work. Hundreds of thousands will again be protesting on Saturday knowing that they represent the majority of public opinion, who demand an end to all UK support for Israel’s decades long oppression of the Palestinian people, and for the Government to end its assault on the right to protest.”
Meanwhile, pressure on authorities not to pursue charges against those arrested is mounting. Former Scottish first minister and human rights lawyer Humza Yousaf, and Amnesty Scotland, both called this week on Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain not to prosecute those arrested in Scotland.
In London, more than 130 academics and teachers have sent a letter to Yvette Cooper and the Metropolitan Police to demand that all charges against people on protests relating to Palestine Action are dropped. The letter condemns the “broad and indiscriminate use of the Terrorism Act” against more than 500 peaceful protesters who were arrested in August.
The letter says: “We believe that there is no justification for the arrests made on 9 August, and on the days leading up to it. Genocide is being perpetrated as we write, and pursuing people for peaceful protest is a diversion from the far more urgent work of bringing the atrocities in Gaza to an end.”
It calls for the police to “drop all charges for any case relating to demonstrations around Palestine Action.” The letter also calls on the crown prosecution service not to press charges “against anyone arrested for holding a placard on 9 August or previously.”
The letter was sent to Metropolitan Police commissioner Mark Rowley and director of public prosecutions Stephen Parker on Wednesday (3rd September). A copy was also sent to home secretary Yvette Cooper.
The open letter is coordinated by the organisers of the Protest is not Terrorism letter, which has gathered the signatures of more than 1700 trade unionists and activists opposing the ban on Palestine Action. Stuart Graham of Glasgow TUC said:
“The arrest of the Defend Our Juries spokespeople today is another example of how this genocide complicit Westminster Government continues to attack our civil liberties and should be condemned by anyone with a moral compass.
This disgraceful decision clearly illustrates the Kafkaesque nature of a Government and system which seeks to criminalise organising against genocide instead of taking the necessary steps to prevent and punish it, as required by international law. But by arresting the spokespeople, more will now step forth to take their places.”
Glasgow TUC is among a range of trade union bodies and campaigns in Scotland organising a march to the UK government offices in Edinburgh where at 2pm on Saturday, activists with Defend our Juries will hold signs challenging the proscription of Palestine Action.
Stuart Graham added:
“We will ensure as big a turnout as possible on Saturday and call on all trade unionists to show up in solidarity with the DoJ actions happening in Edinburgh and London.”
Get involved with this campaign:
1] Emergency Public meeting:
Stop the Gaza Genocide // Defend the Right to Protest // Lift the Ban.
Thursday 4 September, 6pm, Mander Hall, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place.
Details at: https://actionnetwork.org/events/emergency-meeting
2] Open letter: no to charges for peaceful protest against proscription and genocide
3] The Protest is not Terrorism letter has been published here: https://protestisnotterrorism.uk/. It has been signed by 1700+ individuals and a growing range of trade union bodies, including the national executive committee of the NEU.
Protest is not terrorism 
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