Palestine Action and the draft Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2025
Tabled 1 July 2025 by Iqbal Mohamed
That this House condemns the Government’s proposed Statutory Instrument to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation; believes this constitutes a dangerous escalation in the crackdown on civil liberties; recognises the fundamental distinction between non-violent direct action and terrorism; affirms the right to protest as a core tenet of any democratic society; notes that criminal offences such as property damage should be dealt with under existing criminal law, not by redefining protest as terrorism; recalls the proud British history of disruptive protest by the Quakers, Suffragettes and others, whose actions were instrumental in winning rights, not committing terrorism; asserts that the attempt to brand Palestine Action as terrorists is an authoritarian move to silence dissent and shield the UK’s complicity in Israel’s military actions; highlights growing concern from UN human rights experts over the misuse of anti-terror powers against peaceful activists; further condemns reports of activists being detained without informing their families; warns this is part of a broader pattern of disproportionate repression against campaigners such as Just Stop Oil and Youth Demand; further asserts that criminalising support for a protest group is a chilling threat to freedom of expression; and opposes this Statutory Instrument in defence of civil liberties, human rights and the ongoing struggle for peace and justice for the Palestinian people.