Cooper defends decision to ban Palestine Action group that has ‘committed acts of terrorism’
Former Home Secretary says she was right not to ignore 'advice that you are given about risks to public safety'
Yvette Cooper has defended her decision to ban Palestine Action as a terror group, after the High Court ruled the move was unlawful and “disproportionate”.
Now the Foreign Secretary, Cooper proscribed the group in July last year when she was serving as home secretary.
Last Friday, the High Court ruled against the Government’s ban after a challenge was brought by Palestine Action.
Asked to explain her decision-making, Cooper said: “I followed the clear advice and recommendations, going through a serious process that the Home Office goes through, involving different agencies and police advice as well, which was very clear about the recommendation for proscription of this group.
“And the court has also concluded that this is not a normal protest group, that it has found that this group has committed acts of terrorism, that this group is not simply in line with democratic values, and has promoted violence.”
The cabinet minister was pressed on the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News to reveal the advice she was given that informed her decision to pursue the ban.
She said: “So I was given significant evidence and advice around risks of violence and risks from public safety, and that is what you take seriously.”
The Foreign Secretary added: “If you ignore advice that you are given about risks to public safety then you’re really not taking seriously the responsibilities of home secretary.”
The ban remains in place for now and Cooper’s successor as Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said she will appeal against the court’s decision.
Proscription makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Palestine Action has undertaken 385 direct actions in protest at the situation in Palestine and the actions of the Israeli government since 2020, according to police.
The High Court said a “very small number” of those actions amounted to terrorism.
Palestine Action’s co-founder Huda Ammori took legal action against the Home Office over Cooper’s decision last year to proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The decision was announced in the wake of the group claiming responsibility for causing an estimated £7 million of damage to military tanker planes at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
In a 46-page ruling on Friday, Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn, said: “We are satisfied that the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was disproportionate.
“At its core, Palestine Action is an organisation that promotes its political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality. A very small number of its actions have amounted to terrorist action.”
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said she was “appalled” by the High Court ruling.
She told Sky News it was “right that it should be appealed”, adding: “I think the public would be absolutely horrified to see that these individuals have been able to essentially get away with the type of activity that they have been able to thus far.”
Meanwhile, a group of 26 Labour MPs and peers, including Blair-era former minister Lord Peter Hain and senior MP John McDonnell, has written to the Government urging it not to go ahead with its plans for appeal.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
