The home assistant has actually pledged to eliminate the judgment, yet she and the federal government get on the wrong side of history
This is a day of embarrassment for those who promoted Israel’s genocide in Gaza– and a moment of vindication for those who stood versus “the crime of criminal activities”. It deserves underscoring what the high court in London has today ruled to be illegal: our federal government’s choice to position the direct-action team Palestine Action on the very same lawful ground as al-Qaida and Islamic State. Legitimately speaking, simply showing support for it risked a prison sentence of as much as 14 years. The consequences? More than 2,700 individuals apprehended for holding placards opposing genocide and supporting Palestine Action, a lot of them elderly, consisting of a retired octogenarian priest.No one that takes part in criminal damage for a political reason visualizes they will certainly prevent apprehension. As the court judgment explains, regular criminal regulation remains available for such acts. However when a federal government applies the badge of “terrorism” to movements that, nevertheless disorderly, are clearly not terrorist activities, a worrying precedent is set. As the court recognised, the proscription interferes with legal rights to freedom of speech, to calm setting up and complimentary associations with others. You do not require a fevered creative imagination to see exactly how a future Reform UK government could build on such a precedent. (As points stand, the restriction on the group remains in effect so the government has time to appeal.)
Owen Jones is a Guardian reporter
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Source: The Guardian