Man arrested in Scotland over support for Palestine Action

A man was arrested and charged in Scotland due to his alleged support of the pro-Palestine group Palestine Action, as reported by The Scotsman on September 3rd.

Police stated that officers carried out a warrant in the Oban area and arrested a man as part of an ongoing investigation into individuals linked to promoting support for the group.

Palestine Action is a direct action group opposing the war in Gaza and targeting mainly large arms firms.

The group has been labelled a terrorist organisation by the UK government as UK Members of Parliament voted 385 to 26 in favour of the legislation, that designates Palestine Action as a terrorist group. This is after the group claimed responsibility for damaging two military aircrafts at RAF Brize Norton, causing £7 million in damage.

The group is now on par with groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda and any support for the group is deemed a criminal offence by the British government, with individuals facing up to 14 years in prison.

The group’s ban has been under scrutiny by the public in the UK, with many criticising the ban on the grounds that it constitutes a criminalisation of dissent against Israel’s military operations in Gaza, raising questions about freedom of speech, the right to dissent and the policing of protests in the UK and the rest of the Western world.

The renowned Irish author Salley Rooney pledged her support for the group, in spite of its designation as a terrorist organisation. The author, writing in The Irish Times on August 16th, denounced the arrests of over 500 protestors, who were protesting against the prohibition of the group in London.

The author wrote: “Palestine Action… is responsible for zero deaths and has never advocated the use of violence against any human being.”