PALESTINE Action is expected to be banned by the UK Government today under the Terrorism Act.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to proscribe the activist group – which recently broke into RAF Brize Norton and vandalised military planes – by designating them a terrorist organisation.
How does the UK Government ban organisations?
The Terrorism Act 2000 gives the Home Secretary the power to proscribe organisations if they are considered to be engaged in terrorism.
The UK Government defines terrorism as “serious” violence to people or damage to property, endangering the lives of others, creating a “serious risk” to the health and safety of the public or significantly interfering with “an electronic system”.
These actions must be designed to influence government policy or that of international governmental organisations. The actions can also be considered as terrorism if they are designed to intimidate the public or a section of the public. The Government must also believe that the actions are designed to advance “a political, religious, racial or ideological cause”.
Can the Home Secretary ban Palestine Action?
The Home Secretary must believe that the statutory tests outlined above have been met and then is able to exercise her discretion in deciding whether to ban the group.
Cooper (below) is likely to argue that Palestine Action’s breaking into an RAF base and damaging British planes amounts to serious damage to property designed to influence the Government’s position on Gaza.
Palestine Action has said that by taking two planes out of action, it had “broken the chains of oppression”.
RAF Brize Norton is the largest military air station in Britain with 5,800 service personnel, 300 civilian staff and 1,200 contractors. Flights depart from there daily to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which has been used as a launchpad for spy planes flying over Gaza.
What happens if Palestine Action are banned?
It is a criminal offence to belong or claim to belong to a proscribed organisation.
It is also a criminal offence to express support or invite support for a proscribed organisation and this is drawn broadly to include statements which could be read as giving “moral support” to the group in question. It also outlaws wearing clothes or publishing images which could be considered as supportive.
Belonging to a banned group or expressing support for one carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years, while wearing an item of clothing or publishing an image of an item of clothing, flags or logos interpreted as supportive can result in a prison sentence of six months and a fine of up to £5000.
