The UK-wide protests on Saturday 12 July against the proscription of Palestine Action have exposed a stark divide in the policing response across different forces. Raids and repression to different degrees across the country are indicative of the chaos the government has unleashed with its order that permits police to treat protestors holding cardboard signs as if they were terrorists.
The spectrum of responses on Saturday ranged from a hands-off approach in Kendal and Derry, to surreal repression in Cardiff, where cops locked protestors up, raided their homes, and tested their food cupboards with something appearing to be a Geiger counter.
Palestine Action protests against proscription: police response divided
On the one hand, police in Kendal and Derry used their discretion to allow protests to proceed without interference. On the other hand, South Wales Police treated the protestors as if they presented a serious danger to the public. They arrested them under the Terrorism Act Section 12, applying for an extension of pre-charge custody and conducted raids on their homes. Reportedly, the force even tested protesters’ food cupboards with a device resembling a Geiger counter.
In Manchester and London the approach was somewhere in between. Police arrested protestors under the Terrorism Act Section 13 (a much lesser charge than Section 12). They then quickly released protesters on police bail.
No arrests in Derry or Kendal, but draconian repression and overreach elsewhere
In both Kendal and Derry, the police chose to allow the actions to proceed undisturbed. This was despite protesters alerting them to the demonstrations in advance. In Kendal, the first part of the wording of the sign was different: “Defend Your Right to Protest” as opposed to “I Oppose Genocide”. But this doesn’t explain the different approach, because it is only the second part of the message that allegedly violates the Terrorism Act.
In Leeds, the police arrested and raided the home of one solo sitter. They have now released him on police bail.
Police have so far charged one person over the weekend, and that was in Glasgow, where a man wore a shirt the police considered to be supportive of Palestine Action.
Meanwhile, the South Wales Police deployed draconian terrorism powers.
They responded to the sign-holding as if it were a serious terrorist incident. The force held the 13 sign-holders for an extended period in police custody. This was after a Superintendent authorised the extension of the normal time for being held prior to charge. This is usually a maximum of 24 hours. South Wales Police also raided the homes of the sign-holders, seizing posters, books, and tech, and leaving broken down front doors wide open. Two of the 13 were Quakers, aged 78 and 80, an it was reportedly their food cupboards that the police tested for radioactive material.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said:
The Chief Constable of South Wales police has got carried away with his new powers, treating peaceful protestors with cardboard signs like Al-Qaida operatives. Is this absurd diversion of police resources what Yvette Cooper really intended?
The massive variation in the police response to people holding exactly the same sign brings the law into disrepute. Express your opinion in Kendall or Derry and the police will leave you be. Do the same thing in Cardiff, the police will react as if your cardboard sign is a grave danger to the public, keeping you locked up while they break down your doors and raid your homes.
It shows the chaos the Home Secretary’s order is causing. Basic legal principles have been turned on their head. Dystopia beckons if we don’t take a stand.
