Civil liberty at risk

Proceeding with prosecutions of more than 700 people arrested for supporting Palestine Action prior to November’s judicial review, which will determine if the Home Secretary’s proscription of the group was legal, is deeply problematic. Not only does it raise legal and moral questions, it threatens to create chaos in our over-burdened courts. 

In a democracy such as ours, many are understandably disturbed to see police resources from across the country being deployed to London to arrest pensioners peacefully exercising their right of protest. Quite apart from stretching the Thin Blue Line, the Home Secretary’s actions are placing additional strain upon the concept of policing by consent. The British public do not want to see Grandmothers, priests and retired colonels thrown in the back of police vans and put on a par with Osama bin Laden merely for waving placards. And I will venture to say that rank and file police officers probably don’t wish to be placed in this invidious position either. 

The Liberal Democrats have written to the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, asking that he urgently examine the “troubling precedent” of use of the Terrorism Act to arrest large numbers of people expressing support for Palestine Action.

In a letter to Jonathan Hall KC, Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem’s Home Affairs spokesperson said: “While we recognise the serious nature of this group’s activities, including criminal offences, such as vandalism of military equipment and RAF aircraft, aggravated burglary and violent disorder, and some cases awaiting the conclusion of trials, we are deeply concerned about the use of terrorism powers against peaceful protesters in this context.”

The people of this country know from bitter experience what terrorism looks like, and it doesn’t carry a bus pass… 

Guy Harris

Vice Chair, Hastings & Rye Lib Dems