77 arrested at a London court as Palestine Action supporters are summoned to face terrorism charges for holding up placards

Total chaos at Westminster Magistrates Court in London today, as 1,855 Palestine Action supporters who were arrested on terrorism charges for peacefully holding up hand-written placards that read, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”, were told to turn up in court today — except that some of them were told to turn up AND not to turn up, and some who did turn up were arrested again for expressing support for Palestine Action. 

77 people were arrested, including Sir Jonathon Porritt, the former director of Friends of the Earth and a former environmental adviser to King Charles III, who, as he was arrested, said, "I am a supporter of Palestine Action. Trying to save lives is not terrorism. Exposing this government’s complicity in genocide is not terrorism. I support Palestine Action and I hope others will too.”

Last year, on TV, Jonathon Porritt eloquently explained why Palestine Action was proscribed: "The government decided to ban Palestine Action precisely because it was so effective in the campaign that it brought against arms manufacturers here in the UK, who are directly involved in the genocide in Gaza.”   

One of those told to turn up to court said, “I’m looking forward to simultaneously appearing in Courtrooms 11 and 12 at 2pm, for a hearing that I must attend but must also not attend, which may or may not be happening, about what may or may not be a crime, on behalf of an organisation that no longer exists.”

The chaos and mass arrests took place at that same time that the Supreme Court accepted an appeal from Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, against the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, which was ruled unlawful by the Divisional Court in February, in a ruling that was then overturned by the Court of Appeals in June.

This country is a joke and it's now Andy Burnham's responsibility.