On the Criminalization of Pro-Palestinian Activism in the UK

It's been hard for me, as an American, to absorb the rapid criminalization of pro-Palestinian solidarity in the United Kingdom that's been happening in recent weeks. Over the past 22 months, I have been inspired by what our British comrades have been doing: showing up for large protests in London and other major cities, holding standouts consistently throughout, and taking direct but non-violent actions to make any sort of dent on the war machine including arms manufacturers, banks, and other complicit actors. Here in the US, we certainly have mobilized solidarity communities, but overall they pale in comparison to the intensity, numbers, and impact of the UK.

Unfortunately, recent direct actions taken by members of Palestine Action has triggered an extreme disciplinary response from the state, putting activists on alert. Sometime around June 20th, a handful of activists from the group broke into the Royal Air Force (RAF) Brize Norton in central England. They sprayed paint into the engines of a Voyager aircraft and hit the engines with crowbars, causing some damage.

Founded in 2020, the Palestine Action aims to disrupt UK's complicity in upholding Israel's long-standing apartheid of Palestinians, and now genocide in Gaza. Their disruptions take the form of direct but non-violent action which have included protests, property destruction, vandalism, and occupation of premises - actions that are not directed towards, nor have the intention of, hurting human beings. The group has targeted weapons manufacturers, such as Elbit Systems UK and its subsidiaries, as well as other associated companies including finance institutions and logistics consultants.

Accessing the RAF base and causing damage to the plane, however trivial in nature these actions may have been, appear to have been both a high profile and yet costly move. Citing "serious property damage", Home Secretary Yvette Cooper justified introducing legislation in Parliament to proscribe Palestine Action under Britain's Terrorism Act 2000, which passed in the House of Commons on July 2nd.

Proscribing Palestine Action was a hasty, irrational reaction which may set a dangerous precedent for activists going forward. In doing so, Britain has placed this activist group in the same category as armed groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIL-ISIS. The ramifications for activists are grave. Other activist groups that engage in direct action, such as Extinction Rebellion, are now vulnerable to similar charges. Membership to a proscribed group is illegal, even expressing support for such a group would also be considered a crime - indeed, around 200 people have already been arrested for protesting the proscription. The definition of what "support" means may morph to encompass all manners of expression, allowing for the suppression of free speech to creep over the pro-Palestinian community and its allies.

While a court ruling on July 30th gave Palestine Action the ability to challenge its ban by the state, we here in the United States are watching out for our comrades in the UK with concern. We're living in increasingly fascist governments, we are seeing our rights being threatened at every opportunity, and we have no doubt that any government out there invested in stopping pro-Palestinian activism is watching the UK closely.

Community as Foundation

Under increasingly difficult conditions, what recourse is there for grassroots movements?

When faced with uncertainty, it's always a good idea to ground ourselves. Successful grassroots activism always depends on being anchored in community. We may think that protests and campaigns are the primary goals of solidarity movements, and it is true that we need to act in order to create change. However, having a trusted network of associates and allies provides the foundation for individuals working towards collective change.

Through utilizing the complementary strengths and talents of a diverse community, we can strategize, prioritize, identify threats, and create roadmaps. More importantly however, this network will provide the bulwark of support - material and otherwise - to do the work. Building that community is in itself a form of solidarity work.

We should look at community not only at the scale of the group or organization, but at the larger scale of the collective. Issues of social and environmental justice are invariably interconnected. So while activist groups will strategically focus on single issues, they will form coalitions with allied communities. These coalitions create resilience and further build capacity, which in turn help to build knowledge, create a bigger impact for campaigns, and bring more people out to the streets. Just as importantly in these uncertain times, a strong collective of organizations can also help disseminate important updates quickly and efficiently, helping to provide critical information and protection.

Adaptation Through Diversity

Since the beginning, find a protest sought to make it as easy as possible for people to find solidarity through various kinds of venues and activities, and not just through protest. These included teach-ins, banner-drops, arts events, vigils, bake sales, pop-up encampments. These kinds of activities not only bring people together over common causes, they help keep people together and resilient. They can even bring more people into the fold. A local bake sale at a park can be used to raise awareness, a poetry-reading may attract people who are on the fence.

To get closer to the heart of the issue in dealing with heavy-handed state responses, however, these various manifestations of solidarity provide opportunities to adapt. In places where protests are not legal, for example, being able to attend a film screening may be a viable safe way to keep the discussion alive. Or, given the increasing repressive state response towards activists such as Palestine Action, or of abductions by ICE in American communities, teach-in events about our rights as citizens, civilians, and activists are absolutely critical.

We don't know long this era will last, when we will hit rock bottom, or when the pendulum will start to swing the other way. But what we do know is that we have the truth on our side, and that we will make it through these times together.