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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Bill Bowkett

Palestine Action activists told to 'go floppy' when arrested by police ahead of planned protest in London

Palestine Action activists have been told to “go floppy” when they are arrested by police ahead of a planned protest in London.

Supporters of the proscribed organisation have also been advised to use burner phones in case they are seized during protests over the next two weeks.

A leaked memo called “De-proscribe Palestine Action: Action Briefing Doc” advises demonstrators to bring a book to read if they are detained.

It tells protesters to consider “going floppy when arrested” because it “adds to the visual drama of the action and is a continuation of civil resistance”.

Last month, MPs voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, meaning support for the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Palestine Action’s website has also been blocked in the UK after a last-minute legal challenge to suspend the group’s proscription failed.

A ban against Palestine Action has come into effect (PA)

It comes after two Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire last month and sprayed two military planes with red paint.

A document on the forthcoming action, coordinated by campaigners from Defend Our Juries, was leaked to The Daily Telegraph.

Protesters are to attend locations including the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square to sit with “a gaze lowered in contemplation and resolve” because “our words, or lack of, on the sign are what we are communicating. Let them speak for themselves”.

“There’s a substantial risk of arrest, and all taking part should be prepared for that,” it adds. “The indications from Saturday are that the stakes for action-takers are relatively low.

“There can be safety and support in numbers ... but nobody owns resistance to oppression and unjust laws!”

Explaining the rationale for the mass gatherings, it said: “The proscription of Palestine Action as ‘terrorists’ is a serious assault on democracy and civil liberties. We’ve got to push back. It’s the actions engaging the police that really expose the absurdity of the law.”

A jet at RAF Brize Norton was vandalised with spray paint (BBC)

Protesters have been warned not to bring “any incriminating bits of paper, sharp items, valuables, phones with sensitive information”.

If arrested, it advises suspects to give a “no comment” interview to Scotland Yard, or to read a pre-prepared statement that says: “The British Government is a partner to the Israeli government in the genocide”.

A spokesman for Campaign Against Anti-Semitism said: “It beggars belief that police are dealing with people who are going out of their way to boast of the support for a proscribed terrorist organisation so lightly.

“Is it any wonder that other underground groups appear to be queuing up to take their place? The law must be enforced – failure to do so only emboldens those who target Jews and threaten our country’s security.”

Defend Our Juries responded: “Are people holding up signs of serious criminals committing terror crimes who should be locked up for 14 years?

“Or are they ordinary, decent people, exercising their democratic rights and taking a stand against corruption, injustice and genocide? Make up your own mind.”

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