Greta Thunberg, Sally Rooney, and Brian Eno have written to the Court of Appeal in support of Palestine Action, a proscribed protest group, ahead of a hearing next week that will determine the lawfulness of the ban on the organisation.
The letter, consisting of just seven words – “We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action” – has been signed by more than 130 individuals, marking the first time prominent scholars, writers, and activists have collectively defied the ban.
In February, three senior judges ruled that the ban on Palestine Action, the first of its kind on a direct action protest group under the Terrorism Act, was unlawful. However, they ordered that the ban remain in place pending an appeal, which begins at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday. Following the High Court's decision, the Metropolitan Police initially said it would stop arresting people, but has since resumed arrests.
Other notable signatories include writers Tariq Ali and China Miéville; musicians Nadine Shah and Matt Black, co-founder of Ninja Tune records; feminist philosopher Judith Butler from UC Berkeley; and veteran environmental campaigner Jonathon Porritt. By echoing the words of over 3,000 people who have been arrested for alleged support of a terrorist group by holding placards stating “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”, they too risk arrest.
Peter Hallward, a professor of modern European philosophy at Kingston University and a signatory, said: “This absurd and contradictory situation clearly cannot last much longer. And if enough people are prepared to defy such an incoherent and unjustifiable law, then we may be able to persuade the government that it’s neither legitimate nor enforceable.”
Sally Rooney, author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends, cancelled a trip to the UK last year to pick up an award, fearing arrest after she stated her intention to use proceeds from her works to support Palestine Action. In a witness statement highlighting the ban’s impact on freedom of expression, she warned that her books could disappear from UK stores due to her support for the group.
Greta Thunberg was arrested in December after holding a sign at a demonstration that read: “I support the Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.” Her placard referenced individuals on hunger strike in prison awaiting trial for protests before the group was banned.
Some signatories had previously signed statements calling for the UK government to reverse the ban on Palestine Action and, after Thunberg’s arrest, expressing solidarity with Palestine Action prisoners. However, this letter to the Court of Appeal – signed by scholars from the UK, France, Argentina, Australia, Canada, and the US – goes further by openly defying the ban.
Jonathon Porritt said: “If you ignore what is happening in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, you put your own humanity on hold. If you fight for the rights of all Palestinians, by supporting Palestine Action, hope can be reborn.”
Charles Secrett, former director of Friends of the Earth UK, commented: “Orwell warned that the first step towards tyranny is the abuse and misuse of language by an authoritarian government. Labour’s perverted interpretation of the word ‘terrorist’ in designating Palestine Action and its supporters as terrorists is a case in point. It is a travesty of justice and freedom of expression to equate peaceful, placard-carrying people of conscience, like students and pensioners, with violent extremists from groups like Isis and al-Qaida.”
The letter has been published on the website of Defend Our Juries, a civil liberties organisation, with a form allowing anyone to add their name. After the High Court’s judgment, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she disagreed with the ruling “that banning this terrorist organisation is disproportionate”.
