More than 2,000 people have been detained since July last year for expressing support for the proscribed Palestine Action group.
A senior American official has criticized the UK government’s imprisonment of supporters of the proscribed Palestine Action group, saying it is a censorship of free speech, the Guardian reported.
Sarah B. Rogers, the US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, told the news platform Semafor that the crackdown “does more harm than good.”
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers expressed concern over the mass arrests of pro-Palestinian supporters in the United Kingdom, specifically regarding the proscription of the activist group Palestine Action.
Undersecretary Rogers addressed the issue… pic.twitter.com/eoYnZdPBG5
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“This Palestine Action group, I’ve seen it written about. I don’t know what it did,” Rogers said. “I think if you just merely stand up and say: ‘I support Palestine Action,’ then unless you are really coordinating with some violent foreign terrorist, I think that censoring that speech does more harm than good.”
The comments were in response to a question on whether the government should allow supporters of the group, banned under the Terrorism Act last July, to protest.
Since then, more than 2,000 people have been detained for expressing support for the group, many holding signs that read: ““I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” the report stated.
‘Globalize the Intifada’
Rogers was criticized in the interview for allegedly being “silent” on “pro-Palestinian speech,” with the journalist calling it “the most widely censored form of political speech in Europe”.
The US official denied “being silent on that,” saying she was once asked by a radio station in London whether she agreed that the phrase “globalize the intifada” should be banned.
Victory at Starvation’s Edge: Palestine Action Hunger Strikers Shame the UK
“I said I don’t find it acceptable,” Rogers stated, adding that “I’m from New York City where thousands of people were murdered by jihadists,” referring to the 9/11 attacks, the Guardian said.
“I don’t want an intifada in New York City… but should it be legal to say in most contexts? Yes. You and I have uttered that phrase on this program, and hopefully even the British government doesn’t want us arrested,” she said.
The report noted that local police announced in December that anyone chanting the words “globalize the intifada” or even holding a poster with the phrase on it would be arrested.
Hunger Strikers
Last week, more Palestine-action-affiliated activists ended their hunger strike in protest at their ongoing detention, after 73 days of the action.
The decision came after it was revealed that Elbit Systems lost out on a £2 billion contract that would have seen them train 60,000 British troops each year, according to a statement from the Prisoners for Palestine group. The statement added that since 2012, Elbit has “won over 10 public contracts, marking a shift in their popularity amongst officials.”
Three Palestine Action Activists End Hunger Strike after Elbit UK Loses £2bn Contract
One detainee out of eight hunger strikers detained for their support of Palestine Action remains on hunger strike.
Umer Khalid is “threatening escalation to a thirst strike by this weekend should negotiations be ignored,” according to the group.
Established in 2020 as a direct action movement committed to ending global complicity in Israel’s “genocidal and apartheid regime,” according to its now-banned website, Palestine Action’s key target has been the British factories of Elbit Systems.
Israel’s Ongoing Ceasefire Violations
Since 2012, Prisoners for Palestine noted, Elbit has won 25 public contracts in the UK totaling more than £333m.
The group said: “The abrupt cancellation of this deal is a resounding victory for the hunger strikers, who resisted with their incarcerated bodies in order to shed light on the role of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, in the colonisation and occupation of Palestine.”
Ceasefire in Name Only as Cold and Israeli Fire Claim Lives in Gaza
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect in October last year, Israel continues to attack the Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s Health Ministry figures indicate that 466 Palestinians have been killed and 1,294 more injured since the ceasefire began. The total death toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 71,551 killed and 171,372 injured.
(PC, Anadolu)
