LABOUR have been branded "deeply authoritarian" by the Scottish Greens after reports emerged that the UK Government is set to proscribe Palestine Action.
On Friday, The National told how Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to make the announcement on Monday, according to reports in Sky News and the BBC.
It would effectively treat Palestine Action as a terrorist group and would make it illegal for people to join or express support.
The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine.
The group said it took the action, which is now being investigated by counter terror police, as flights leave Brize Norton for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus daily.
The UK Government has been flying spy planes over Gaza from this location since December 2023.
The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act of 2000 – if she believes it is "concerned in terrorism" – but this must be debated and approved by both MPs and peers.
The decision has been condemned by Amnesty International, which said it was "deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protest groups".
"This is the latest in a succession of measures taken by the UK Government to clamp down on protest in the UK," the human rights organisation posted on social media.
"Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn't be used to ban them."
'Deeply authoritarian'
Speaking to The National on Saturday, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said it was "impossible to overstate how backwards Labour's priorities are".
He said: “Labour’s use of terrorism legislation against non-violent protesters is deeply authoritarian, and it's astonishing that a former human rights lawyer is doing this.
"It’s obviously absurd that throwing red paint on things could cause a group to be listed alongside Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Russia’s Wagner Group, with membership carrying a 14-year prison sentence."
Harvie pointed towards comments made by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, which he said “have rightly raised significant concerns over this aggressive use of powers that should be reserved for only the most extreme and dangerous organisations".
He continued: “And while Labour pull out all the stops to prosecute these protesters, they continue to train, arm and support Israel as it regularly and openly commits war crimes as part of an ongoing genocide.
"It’s impossible to overstate how backwards Labour’s priorities are here.”
Other politicians in Scotland have also joined in, with former first minister Humza Yousaf accusing the Labour Government of "losing its conscience".
Meanwhile, an SNP spokesperson told The National: “It is absolutely vital that legitimate expressions of support for Palestine and the Palestinian people are not criminalised.“
In a statement on Friday, Palestine Action said: "We represent every individual who opposes the Israeli war machine.
"We represent every person that believes Palestinians are worth more than the tools used to kill them.
"We represent every person who stands for Palestinian liberation.
"If they want to ban us, they ban us all."
An emergency protest has been organised outside the UK Parliament on Monday from 12pm.
It has been endorsed by more than 30 different groups, including Stop The War Coalition and the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
