UK use of 'anti-terror laws' against pro-Palestinians draws backlash
4 Min Read
Pro-Palestine activists and journalists have been detained and silenced with the UK justifying their arrests by citing "anti-terror laws".
-
A pro-Palestinian protester holds a megaphone ahead of a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, in London, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP)
The arrest of famous pro-Palestine activists and journalists under UK anti-terrorism legislation has provoked an online outpouring of alarm over official censorship and thought control.
On August 29, police searched the residence of Sarah Wilkinson, a well-known pro-Palestine activist, apparently in response to claims about her online writings discussing Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October.
A family member, Jack Wilkinson, stated on X: “The police came to her house just before 7.30 am. 12 of them in total, some of them in plain clothes from the counter terrorism police. They said she was under arrest for ‘content that she has posted online.’ Her house is being raided & they have seized all her electronic devices.”
The 61-year-old has spent many years at the forefront of the pro-Palestine movement in the UK. After visiting Palestine some years ago, she committed her life to campaigning and exposing "Israel's" crimes.
Her arrest sparked outrage on social media, and the hashtag #FreeSarahWilkinsonNOW went viral online.
According to a statement released by @MENAUncensored, British reporter and human rights activist Sarah Wilkinson was arrested over allegations that she supports terrorism.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 29, 2024
Wilkinson is known for her support of the #Palestinian cause and resistance against the Israeli occupation.… pic.twitter.com/wzR6DS0CkR
Journalist Jonathan Cook stated on X: “We now face the terrifying, Orwellian reality that a genocide-complicit PM can repurpose Britain’s ‘counter-terrorism’ laws to jail anyone who opposes Starmer’s complicity in Israel’s genocide, charging them with ‘support’ for terror.”
Keir Starmer is expanding the scope of already draconian UK laws to arrest critics of his complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, redefining them as 'supporters' of terrorism.
— Jonathan Cook (@Jonathan_K_Cook) August 30, 2024
My latest article can be read here: https://t.co/iJzAyiPzbV pic.twitter.com/BE8TcwuCC7
Co-founder of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, posted a video on X, blasting her arrest and expressing that "12 cops come around to the house and arrest you… for standing up for human rights, campaigning against genocide.”
“If you allow this to stand, the arrest of Sarah Wilkinson, then you have accepted that Britain is now a fascist state. 1984 has arrived and it is alive and well in the United Kingdom.. Over my dead body.”
OVER MY DEAD BODY
— Roger Waters ✊ (@rogerwaters) August 29, 2024
British human rights activist and social media influencer @swilkinsonbc was arrested by UK police on 29 August, reportedly over “content she posted online.”
“The police came to her house just before 7.30am. [Twelve] of them in total, some of them in plain… pic.twitter.com/scm2HgZ97g
Wilkinson, a contributor for the media portal MENA Uncensored, has subsequently been released on bail and "is back to the comfort of her home."
The UK authorities have not issued any formal remarks on her arrest or detention.
The same day Wilkinson was arrested, Richard Barnard the co-founder of Palestine Action, was detained on suspicion of breaking Britain's Terrorism Act after giving a series of talks in Manchester and Bradford in favor of the Palestinian Resistance.
Barnard, who is scheduled to appear in magistrates court on September 18, is accused of "expressing an opinion that is supportive of a proscribed organization contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000."
The 41-year-old has furthermore been charged with "encouraging or intending to encourage criminal damage."
#BREAKING: Richard Barnard, co-founder of Palestine Action, slapped with Terrorism Act charges by UK police!
— General Strike 🍀(Terrence Daniels) (@Terrence_STR) August 31, 2024
When will it stop? How many more voices for Palestine must be silenced in the UK? #FreeSpeech #PalestineSolidarity #FreePalestine #NoMoreWars pic.twitter.com/Emhui8zG0V
On the same day, UK counter-terrorism officers visited the residences of other Palestine Action activists who had already been arrested. Six other protesters were detained on August 6.
The group expressed that the state was "harassing Palestine Action, in a bid to protect Israel’s weapons trade. We will not be intimidated into allowing a genocide to happen."
Richard Medhurst, a pro-Palestine journalist, revealed earlier this month that he had been arrested under the Terrorism Act at London's Heathrow Airport.
Medhurst expressed that he was targeted for his reporting on "Israel’s" war on Gaza, cautioning that this could be an attempt to pave the way for silencing all critical voices.
I was arrested at Heathrow Airport under the Terrorism Act, Sec 12 because of my reporting.
— Richard Medhurst (@richimedhurst) August 19, 2024
6 police officers were waiting for me at the entrance of the aircraft.
I was held for almost 24 hours and questioned.
I believe I'm the first journalist to be arrested under this… pic.twitter.com/pbf6q5dXIf
David Miller, a former Bristol University lecturer, wrote on X that this disgraceful targeting is due to activists opposing genocide, something "the British state materially and ideologically supports."
