🔗 Share this article

Official briefings reveal that government officials implemented a outlawing on Palestine Action despite being given warnings that such steps could “inadvertently enhance” the group’s profile, according to leaked government briefings.

Context

The assessment report was drafted three months ahead of the official proscription of the organization, which was formed to conduct protests intending to curb UK military equipment sales to Israel.

This was written three months ago by officials at the department of home affairs and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with input from anti-terror specialists.

Opinion Polling

Following the headline “In what way might the outlawing of the organisation be viewed by citizens”, one section of the document alerted that a ban could prove to be a divisive matter.

Officials portrayed the network as a “modest specialized organization with less mainstream media coverage” relative to other direct action groups including environmental activists. Yet it highlighted that the group’s protests, and apprehensions of its supporters, received media attention.

The advisers said that surveys suggested “growing frustration with IDF methods and actions in Gaza”.

Leading up to its central thesis, the report referenced a survey finding that a majority of the UK public thought Israel had gone too far in the war in Gaza and that a similar number backed a prohibition on arms shipments.

“These constitute viewpoints around which PAG defines itself, organising explicitly to challenge the Israeli weapons trade in the UK,” it said.

“In the event that Palestine Action is outlawed, their visibility may accidentally be boosted, attracting sympathy among similarly minded members of the public who disagree with the British role in the Israeli arms industry.”

Further Concerns

Experts noted that the public disagreed with appeals from the rightwing media for strict measures, like a ban.

Further segments of the document mentioned polling showing the citizens had a “widespread unfamiliarity” regarding the group.

Officials wrote that “a significant segment of the UK population are probably presently ignorant of Palestine Action and would continue unaware if there is a ban or, if informed, would remain largely indifferent”.

The outlawing under terrorism laws has led to demonstrations where numerous people have been apprehended for carrying signs in public declaring “I oppose mass killings, I support the network”.

This briefing, which was a social effects evaluation, stated that a proscription under anti-terror statutes could increase inter-community strains and be viewed as government bias in toward Israel.

The briefing alerted officials and senior officials that outlawing could become “a flashpoint for significant debate and criticism”.

Post-Ban Developments

One leader of Palestine Action, said that the briefing’s advisories had proven accurate: “Awareness of the matters and support of the network have surged significantly. This proscription has been counterproductive.”

The home secretary at the period, the minister, announced the proscription in last month, shortly following the group’s members allegedly committed acts at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Government representatives claimed the damage was significant.

The timing of the document indicates the proscription was in development long prior to it was revealed.

Officials were informed that a ban might be perceived as an attack on personal freedoms, with the officials saying that portions of the administration as well as the wider public may see the measure as “a creep of anti-terror laws into the realm of speech rights and protest.”

Authoritative Comments

A departmental official commented: “The network has conducted an increasingly aggressive series involving criminal damage to the UK’s national security infrastructure, intimidation, and reported assaults. Such behavior endangers the protection of the citizens at risk.

“Rulings on outlawing are not taken lightly. These are guided by a thorough evidence-based process, with contributions from a wide range of advisers from multiple agencies, the law enforcement and the MI5.”

A national security official stated: “Judgments concerning outlawing are a matter for the administration.

“Naturally, national security forces, together with a selection of other agencies, routinely offer data to the Home Office to aid their efforts.”

The document also revealed that the central government had been paying for monthly studies of social friction connected to Israel and Palestine.