All 4 Green MP’s voted against the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
North Lancashire Green Party agree with ‘Defend Our Juries’ when they say:
“Once the meaning of ‘terrorism’ is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead. If we let this go, the unions, and climate and racial justice movements will be next.”
NLGP Exec member David Mottram gives a few personal reflections on being arrested on Saturday in Manchester under section 12 of the Terrorism Act, 2000, in a police action apparently named ‘Operation Wildflower’:
“I was one of over 100 people arrested at protests across the country on Saturday (19th July), organised by Defend Our Juries. The offence? Holding a placard saying ‘I Oppose Genocide. I Support Palestine Action’, part of the campaign to lift the proscription of Palestine Action. I was arrested at 12.30pm, and locked in a single cell at Pendleton police station by 2pm. I was finally released at 10pm, and was relieved to find a group of people volunteers from the Defend Our Juries police station support operation waiting outside to support me.
I cannot remember having been inside a police station before, let alone a cell, but the first few hours were fine. I was doing the right thing, and the adrenalin was carrying me through. Eight hours later, in a cell with no natural light, poor ceiling lighting, and denied personal possessions including a wristwatch, I was less sanguine. The experience felt increasingly disorientating, perhaps frightening.
The previous weekend, South Wales Police raided the homes of people arrested under section 12 at the protest in Cardiff. It was upsetting, held incommunicado in a police cell, to know that my partner might be about to face the police alone at home. In the event, this didn’t happen to any of the people arrested in Manchester.
Saturday will only be part of the eventual story. Draconian bail conditions for the next three months are going to have a strong impact, including being banned from entering central Manchester, and being required to ‘live and sleep each night’ at home in Lancaster.”