The UK Arrested An 85-Year-Old Priest For Protesting It Banning A Pro-Palestine Group As "Terrorist"

The British police have arrested a retired woman priest at a protest supporting Palestine Action, a pro-Palestine non-violent direct action group after the UK government designated it as a terrorist group.

85-year-old Reverend Sue Parfitt was arrested for peacefully protesting by sitting and holding a sign that read “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” at a demonstration on Saturday, July 5.

Palestine Action is a pro-Palestine group founded in 2020 that uses non-violent direct action to disrupt the arms industry in the UK, which supplies the Israeli army with weapons used in its genocide in Gaza.

The group most frequently targets British factories linked to Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.

On June 23, after Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton, a Royal Air Force base, and sprayed paint on the engines of two military planes, the UK government announced it planned to designate the group as a terrorist organization 

The UK government said the incident was evidence of "terrorism-related” activity.

On July 5, the ban came into effect after the group’s appeal was dismissed, making it illegal for people in the UK to be a member of or support Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000.

People found guilty will face penalties of up to 14 years in prison, similar to showing support for groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.

The government decision, which people saw as a crackdown on freedom of speech, sparked protests in front of the parliament.

Police cracked down on protesters shortly after the demonstration started, detaining more than 29 people, including Parfitt, on suspicion of offenses under the Terrorism Act 2000, who remain in custody as of July 5, according to the Metropolitan police.

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