No tax for genocide: UK campaign protests state's Gaza war complicity
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The campaign's organizers contend that under both international and domestic law, British individuals risk being implicated in genocide in Gaza by paying taxes.
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Pro-Palestinian, anti-"Israel" demonstrators wave Palestinian flags and hold placards as they protest in Parliament Square in London on February 21, 2024, during an Opposition Day motion in the House of Commons calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. (AFP)
A new campaign in the United Kingdom has been started to encourage citizens and businesses to stop paying taxes for the government's support in "Israel's" genocide in Gaza, which has now killed over 31,000 Palestinians.
The "No Tax for Genocide" campaign was started in the UK on Thursday to persuade citizens and companies to cease paying taxes, accusing London of assisting "Israel" in its horrific aggression on Palestine.
The campaign's organizers contend that under both international and domestic law, British individuals risk being implicated in genocide in Gaza by paying taxes, and hence have a legal right not to pay as long as the British government supports the Israeli occupation.
Ashish Prashar, the campaign's co-founder and spokesperson, told The Telegraph there are several legal duties, including the 1945 UN Charter, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and the Terrorism Act of 2000, that give a legal foundation for "tax resistance".
“Taxpayers are committing a crime when they pay tax. This is an opportunity for people not to be complicit and demand an immediate ceasefire," he argued.
“They’re using the money you have to veto ceasefires, to continue these atrocities, to provide political cover. You’ve elected these individuals, you fund their ability to do their jobs, you're culpable. As the British public, do you want to be culpable?,” he said in a statement.
8 NGOs urge UK to rethink trade links with 'Israel' amid ICJ findings
A group of human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International UK, Global Justice Now, and ActionAid UK, asked the UK to join the EU in evaluating whether to suspend its trade deals with "Israel" due to violations of humanitarian law.
The request made by the NGOs reflects one of the first times the issue of the future of trade relations between the UK and "Israel" has been brought up by campaigners.
The UK and the occupation this month concluded their fourth round of discussions on a new free trade agreement, which will update one inked in 1995 and remove impediments to service innovation and digital commerce
Read more: Pro-'Israel' bias rampant in UK media: Declassified
The NGOs argue that the UK should reconsider its attitude in light of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) preliminary conclusions that "Israel" is committing genocide. They claim that earlier genocide verdicts by the International Criminal Court have made it obvious that parties to the Genocide Convention, such as the United Kingdom, have a duty to assist in enforcing orders issued against nations, and in the case of "Israel", to prevent crimes against humanity.
They are calling for the cessation of "trade privileges, agreements and negotiations with Israel, particularly as these agreements are premised on upholding human rights and international law, and they involve trade, investment and cooperation with sectors of the Israeli economy involved in human rights and international humanitarian law violations."
“These are important points of leverage that the UK could and should utilise to try to bring an end to the ongoing serious violations of international law."
