Home Office official raises alarm that Palestine Action ban could ‘overwhelm’ Prevent
A Home Office official reportedly warned that banning Palestine Action could cripple the counter-terrorism prevention program and lead to people being unfairly criminalised.
Members of the counter-terrorism police and officials at schools and hospitals were already in confusion following the direct action group’s ban. Guard.
The government made membership of or support for Palestine Action an offense under the Terrorism Act on 5 July after a group of protesters entered RAF Brize Norton and spray-painted two RAF Voyager aircraft. The move to ban the group has sparked controversy and a legal challenge will be lodged against the decision next week.
A member of the Home Office’s internal security group expressed concern to the newspaper that even those involved in Palestine advocacy but who do not support the banned group are mistakenly labeled as extremists, and that those referred to as Prevent because they support Palestine Action do not always pose a threat.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that at least 90 people were detained on Saturday as activist group Palestine Action protested against government actions banning it. Many people gathered in the Peace Garden in Tavistock Square in central London, carrying banners saying “I oppose genocide” and “I support Palestine Action”.
Elderly people were among those detained by the officers, and they received applause from the audience as they were taken away.
A homeland security official who worked closely with Prevent spoke to him anonymously. GuardHe said: “We have seen police officers mistakenly arrest or tackle people for supporting Palestine, not Palestine Action, let alone frontline Prevent practitioners.
“There is a risk that what is considered the crime of support for the Palestine Movement could become a kind of gateway into the Prevent system’s mistaken criminalization of unwitting people, particularly young people who do not know the law and do not know the consequences of expressing what appears to be – or may actually be – support for a group that has been banned overnight.”
The prevention program requires officials in the education, health and local sectors to report concerns about people vulnerable to radicalisation. Figures published earlier this month showed referrals to the counter-terrorism program were at the highest level since records began.
“I am concerned about an increase in referrals to the Prevent system that may be linked to Palestine advocacy, given that this very high-profile group is now banned and the confusion that may occur on the front lines in schools, healthcare settings, and all other places that are expected to make Prevent referrals,” the official added.
Although the Home Office official said it was still early days to see the real impact of banning Palestine Action, they feared Prevent, already under “unprecedented” pressure following the Southport attacks, could be “overwhelmed”.
A further 120 people were notified of charges against them for showing support for the Palestine Movement on Thursday, bringing the total number of charges for this crime in London to 254 since July this year. London Counter Terrorism Police continues to investigate those arrested for showing support for the banned group.
The government’s decision to ban Palestine Action was condemned in July by the UN Human Rights Chief as “abusing the gravity and impact of terrorism to extend it beyond these clear borders and to further encompass conduct already criminalized under the law.”
Volker Turk warned: “The UK’s counter-terrorism legislation defines terrorist acts broadly to include ‘serious damage to property’. However, by international standards, terrorist acts should be limited to criminal acts aimed at causing death or serious injury or taking hostages, intimidating the public or coercing the government into taking or coercing a particular action.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “We do not comment on anonymous briefings.
“Supporting Palestine is not the same as supporting a proscribed terrorist organization. There are many legal ways to express support for the rights and sovereignty of Palestinians without being a member or affiliate of this harmful group.”
