Protesters are being urged to demand they are taken into custody if they are arrested for supporting Palestine Action this weekend – which may threaten to overwhelm police resources.
More than 530 people were arrested at the last major demonstration against Palestine Action being banned as a terror group, however, the Metropolitan Police used “street bail” to avoid having to process them all in custody.
Street bail allows officers to release suspects on bail before they are taken to a police station. The suspect receives a bail notice requiring them to return to a station at a future date instead.
The Defend Our Juries (DOJ) protest group is planning demonstrations against the ban on Palestine Action in London, Belfast and Edinburgh on Saturday.
DOJ expects 1,000 people to take part by holding signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”.
At an online press conference held by the DOJ about the planned protests today, Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, encouraged protesters not to accept street bail during this Saturday’s demonstrations.
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A woman is dragged away by police officers after attending the Palestine Action protest in Parliament Square in August. Pic: PA
A briefing document for the day’s action has recommended that attendees refuse to comply with the “charade” of street bail.
Organisers say officers will have to take protesters to a police station if they do not give their details to them.
The document reads: “It will not be practically possible for the police to arrest 1,000 non-compliant people on the same day, and that is the strategic rationale behind non-compliance, it increases pressure on the state.”
In a reference to the advice in the briefing document, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told Sky News the move would be “misguided”.
They said: “We have been clear that if you show support for a proscribed group – an offence under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested. Attempts to overwhelm the justice system are misguided and plans are in place to arrest, investigate and prosecute significant numbers of people each week if necessary.”
Palestine Action has been banned as a terror group since 5 July after MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to ban the group after two Voyager aircraft were allegedly damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June, which police said caused around £7m worth of damage.
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Why was Palestine Action banned?
The filmmaker Ken Loach was among speakers at the DOJ press conference held on Zoom today and described the ban on Palestine Action as “absurd”.
Scriptwriter Paul Laverty, who has worked with Loach on several films, was arrested at a protest in Edinburgh, reportedly over a T-shirt he was wearing.
Loach said his long-time collaborator is “a brave opponent of injustice”.
DOJ has said that it expects hundreds more people to take part in the demonstrations on Saturday after five alleged supporters were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of a terror offence.