Protest is not terrorism

Around 1000 people defied calls from Keir Starmer and the Met Police for the suspension of the Defend our Juries protest against the proscription of Palestine Action on Saturday 4 October. Trade unionists from round the country joined hundreds taking part in the witness circle around the DoJ protest in solidarity, having issued a statement explaining why they supported the demonstration going ahead.

There were branch banners and union members from UCU London Region, Kingston Uni UCU, Imperial College UCU, UCL UCU, City and Islington College UCU, Hackney College UCU, London School of Economics UCU, Lincoln Uni UCU, Greenwich Uni UCU, Birkbeck UCU, Camden Unison, Homerton Hospital Unison, Portsmouth City Unison, Portsmouth Trades Council, NEU Cambridgeshire, NEU Hackney, NEU Warwickshire and NEU Brent, plus members of Unite, NUJ and Bectu. Solidarity from other organisations included delegations from Cage International, Muslim Students for Palestine, XR, Quaker Palestine Solidarity, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and Stop The War.

Despite complaints about lack of resources the Met police in London chose to arrest 488 peaceful sign-holders on Saturday, while in Truro, demonstrating that very different choices can be made, Devon and Cornwall Police took the decision not to make arrests at a Lift The Ban sign-holding vigil earlier the same day. Instead two Police Liaison Officers were sent who described the demo as “lovely and peaceful” and defended people’s right to protest to a passing heckler.

There was solidarity with the protest in London from marchers on the million-strong demonstration for Palestine in Rome. Activists there held up the same signs to highlight the repression taking place in Britain. The Rome march took place one day after a historic general strike for Palestine across Italy in response to Israeli attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla. 

Trade unionists in London also held a banner showing their solidarity with the Italian strikes and recorded a message for workers in Italy.

Defend our Juries announces protests for November as Home Secretary plans further crackdown on protest rights

On Sunday 5th October, in response to the announcement of new powers allowing  police to impose tougher conditions on static protests or marches by taking account of the “cumulative impact” of previous similar demonstrations, DoJ announced a “major escalation” and mass civil disobedience defying the ban across Britain over days from 18th November to 29th November around the Judicial Review, to show the Home Secretary “we will not accept this “dangerous, authoritarian escalation that threatens everyone’s right to protest in our country”. Read the full press release here

What you can do:

• Join the Assembly at the start of the TU bloc on the national march for Palestine to debate how trade unionists in Britain can learn from the example of Italy and organise a general strike for Palestine. 12 noon, 11 October, Cleopatra’s Needle, Embankment. RSVP here