🔗 Share this article

Government briefings indicate that government officials enacted a ban on Palestine Action despite receiving counsel that such steps could “inadvertently enhance” the group’s profile, per newly obtained official records.

Context

This advisory document was drafted 90 days before the legal outlawing of the group, which came into being to conduct protests aimed at curb UK weapons exports to Israel.

The document was prepared in March by personnel at the department of home affairs and the local governance ministry, assisted by counter-terrorism policing experts.

Public Perception

Beneath the subheading “How would the proscription of the group be viewed by the UK public”, one section of the report warned that a ban could turn into a polarizing matter.

The document characterized Palestine Action as a “small specialized movement with less traditional press coverage” in contrast with other activist movements including other climate groups. However, it observed that the network’s direct actions, and detentions of its members, had attracted press coverage.

Officials noted that surveys indicated “rising frustration with Israeli military tactics in Gaza”.

In the lead-up to its central thesis, the report mentioned a survey showing that three-fifths of the UK public believed Israel had gone too far in the war in Gaza and that a similar number supported a ban on arms shipments.

“These are positions around which the organization defines itself, organising explicitly to oppose the Israeli weapons trade in Britain,” officials wrote.

“Should that PAG is proscribed, their profile may inadvertently be boosted, attracting sympathy among sympathetic individuals who oppose the British role in the Israeli arms industry.”

Further Concerns

Experts said that the citizens disagreed with appeals from the rightwing media for strict measures, such as a outlawing.

Further segments of the briefing mentioned research indicating the population had a “limited knowledge” regarding Palestine Action.

The document said that “a significant segment of the British public are likely at this time ignorant of Palestine Action and would continue unaware if there is outlawing or, if informed, would remain largely indifferent”.

This proscription under anti-terror legislation has sparked rallies where many individuals have been apprehended for holding up signs in the streets declaring “I reject mass killings, I support the group”.

The document, which was a social effects evaluation, said that a outlawing under anti-terror statutes could escalate inter-community strains and be perceived as official bias in toward Israel.

The briefing cautioned officials and high-level staff that a ban could become “a catalyst for significant controversy and criticism”.

Aftermath

One leader of the network, said that the briefing’s warnings had proven accurate: “Knowledge of the matters and support of the organization have surged significantly. The outlawing has had the opposite effect.”

The senior official at the time, the secretary, revealed the outlawing in the summer, right after the network’s supporters supposedly vandalized property at an air force station in Oxfordshire. Government representatives asserted the harm was substantial.

The schedule of the briefing demonstrates the ban was under consideration ahead of it was revealed.

Officials were advised that a proscription might be perceived as an undermining of civil liberties, with the advisers stating that portions of the cabinet as well as the general citizenry may view the decision as “a creep of security authorities into the area of speech rights and activism.”

Government Statements

An interior ministry spokesperson stated: “The group has engaged in an escalating campaign entailing vandalism to Britain’s national security infrastructure, coercion, and reported assaults. These actions endangers the safety and security of the population at risk.

“Decisions on banning are carefully considered. Decisions are guided by a thorough evidence-based process, with input from a broad spectrum of specialists from various departments, the law enforcement and the MI5.”

A counter-terrorism law enforcement representative commented: “Judgments regarding proscription are a matter for the administration.

“Naturally, anti-terror units, alongside a range of additional bodies, regularly supply information to the interior ministry to assist their work.”

The report also revealed that the central government had been paying for monthly polls of public strain connected to the Middle East conflict.