The following is an excerpt from a piece by Tariq Mehmood, former lead defendant in the Bradford-12 trial, published by Al Jazeera about his thoughts on the labelling of Palestine Action as a terrorist group.
In the coming days, the United Kingdom government is moving full steam ahead to proscribe Palestine Action — a movement of young people with a conscience — as a terrorist group.
Some of its members are already behind bars; others face trials or await sentencing. Yet, despite the “terrorist” label and the threat of imprisonment, tens of thousands across the country have taken to the streets chanting, “We are all Palestine Action”.
If the government’s goal was to intimidate people into silence — to ensure British complicity in genocide continues unchecked — it has badly miscalculated.
A recent poll found that 55 per cent of Britons are against Israel’s war on Gaza. A significant number of those opponents — 82pc — said Israel’s actions amount to genocide.
Something fundamental is shifting.
Read more here.
