Home Office discussing possible Palestine Action ban
EXCLUSIVE: By their own admission the pro-Palestine group is facing criminal action against '16 political prisoners in Britain, 11 of which have not yet faced trial'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Discussions are taking place within the Home Office over the possible. steps to proscribe the Palestine Action protest group, while police chiefs vowed to use the”full force of the law” to pursue activists responsible for criminal incidents last weekend.
Images of smashed windows and red-paint splattered over offices used by a Jewish business and pro-Israel advocacy, and the word “Palestine” partially sprayed on walls at the offices on Hampstead High Street, north London, sparked widespread anger and concern in the community last weekend.Police probe hate crime after masked men smash windows and hurl paint on Jewish buildings>
Meanwhile Palestine Action fanatics also claimed responsibility for stealing two busts from the University of Manchester over the weekend, including one of Israeli president Chaim Weizmann, who had been an academic at the institution, which was later shown “beheaded” in an online social media post.
Jewish News understands that the latest incidents, which the pro-Palestinian protest network openly claimed as their work on social media, have sparked renewed discussion on building a possible case for proscribing Palestine Action under existing terror laws.
A report published in May by Lord Walney, the government’s adviser on political violence, called for Palestine Action to be proscribed claimed the militant pro-Palestine group is “using criminal tactics to create mayhem” in this country.
It has long resorted to direct action activity at companies it accuses of being Israeli owned, or British companies it says are supplying arms equipment to Israel.
A government source confirmed to Jewish News that the possible proscription of Palestine Action “remains on the agenda” and would be “revisited after the group’s latest actions.”
A Home Office spokesperson added they would never comment on which groups are under consideration for proscription.
The government source also said they “shared” Lord Walney’s concerns about the group.
But some legal experts fear the move would lead only to the group, who were founded in 2020, re-emerging under a different name and continuing to carry out acts of intimidation.
Police have been increasingly successful in cracking down on the group’s ringleaders over recent months, leading to some experts believing the best route to cracking down on Palestine Action is via criminal convictions through the courts.
By their own admission Palestine Action now has “16 political prisoners in Britain, 11 of which have not yet faced trial.”
Palestine Action co-founder Richard Barnard is among those facing three charges for two speeches, and is accused of supporting a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act and encouraging “criminal activity”.
The group complained their activists “have been subjected to regular dawn raids, police harassment, stops at the airport and smear campaigns.”
In the aftermath of the incidents in Hampstead and Manchester, the Board of Deputies and London Jewish Forum held urgent talks with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, and senior officers.
The meeting covered the Jewish community’s ongoing concerns about the protests over the last year, and calls for the proscription of Palestine Action.
It also included the recent provocative action outside JW3, as well as wider issues of antisemitism and extremism on the streets and online.
Afterwards Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said, “The criminal acts we saw in London this weekend are being pursued using the full force of the law.
“I was pleased to have this opportunity to meet with the Board of Deputies and the London Jewish Forum to talk about how we continue to enhance our efforts to keep the Jewish community safe.”
Board of Deputies President, Phil Rosenberg added:” “This was an important opportunity to discuss the Jewish community’s deep concerns about rising antisemitism in the UK, including the appalling incidents of the last weekend.
“We will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police, police services across the country, and the CST, to fight antisemitism in our country.”
Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, is also holding talks at the Home Office this week, where the communities concerns about Palestine Action will be on the agenda.
The Met received reports of criminal damage at 9.29am on Saturday on High Street, Hampstead. Officers attended the scene two hours later.
An occupant of the building told Jewish News: “CCTV shows three masked men arrived at the office at 4:30am armed with hammers and a fire extinguisher filled with red paint.
“They very quickly smashed 12 ground floor windows and sprayed red paint everywhere, including inside the lobby.
“They then began to graffiti the word ‘Palestine’ on the wall but ran off when they were approached. ”
Images shared by the group appear to show paint covering a property on Hampstead High Street, which is an address listed for the Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre.
In another post, Palestine Action claimed it had targeted the Jewish National Fund (JNF) premises.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis later said: “These abhorrent acts of antisemitism have no place in our society and we will not tolerate them. We remain in close contact with policing and community partners to ensure our Jewish communities feel safe.”
Meanwhile in Manchester activists from Palestine Action claimed responsibility for stealing two busts from Manchester University over the weekend.
The group bragged they had “abducted” two sculptures of Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, who had earlier been an academic at the university.
In an inflammatory social media post the group ‘beheaded’ one of the busts.
But it later emerged that while one of the two sculptures was Weizmann, the second was Harold Baily Dixon, a former professor of chemistry at the University of Manchester.
The group shared a post on X on Tuesda showing one of the sculptures without its head, alongside the comment: “First bust of Weizmann is dead. Soon, his zionist project will be too!”
In a previous post on Wednesday, both busts were shown wearing a keffiyeh, a Palestinian scarf. The group wrote: “Weizmann is now under Palestine Action’s control.”
Greater Manchester Police is now investigating the incident which it is treating as a hate crime.
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