- 6 hours ago
Palestine Action The Truth Behind the Ban
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00:07A suspected terrorism offence is about to unfold here, in the heart of London.
00:15This is the group right here, I think. Oh, they're about to do it, whatever it is.
00:19It's a banner that reads, I support Palestine action.
00:25Three police vans just come, and a bunch of police officers have just come out.
00:29Section 13 Terrorist Act to support Palestine action.
00:31Over the last year, there have been over two and a half thousand arrests in the UK for supporting the
00:37group,
00:38after the government officially banned them under the Terrorism Act.
00:42I support Palestine action. They should be arresting the real terrorists.
00:46Watch your backs, please, guys.
00:47Palestine action are radical activists, who break into factories and military bases
00:54as a form of protest they call direct action.
01:07The group, and the government's decision to ban them, have divided the country.
01:11They're scumbags. They're not ISIS.
01:13I think they've got their knickers in a twist.
01:16Let these people realise that there are consequences to their illegal actions.
01:21Some say they are dangerous extremists.
01:25This is an organisation that, in its bones, wants to frighten people.
01:30Could they even be connected to a foreign regime?
01:33She's in Tehran, on Iranian state television, chanting death to America, death to Israel.
01:40Others see them as heroic activists, fighting an alleged genocide.
01:49The protests have quickly become the biggest act of civil disobedience in the country's recent history.
01:56Police have arrested around 150 people.
01:58More than 200 people.
01:59900 people arrested in London at the weekend.
02:02Many are accusing the government of crushing free speech.
02:06But they're not backing down.
02:08People don't know the full nature of this organisation.
02:12This is not a non-violent organisation.
02:15I've witnessed a Palestine action break-in first-hand in Ireland.
02:19The police still haven't come.
02:20It's already been about half an hour.
02:22I can hear the sounds of things being broken up in there.
02:25I've talked exclusively to an activist from one of their most controversial actions
02:29and investigated the truth behind the Home Office's decision.
02:33What you're saying, it just seems so different from how the government has described their reasoning.
02:38All in pursuit of one question.
02:40Was the government right to ban Palestine action?
02:51On October 7th, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked Israel,
02:57killing over 1,200 people and abducting 251.
03:03Since then, Israel's response has killed 70,000 people in Gaza, among them 20,000 children.
03:11According to a UN commission, Israel's actions amount to genocide.
03:17Anger over the bloodshed led one group in the UK to take extreme action.
03:23It's 3.30am on August 6th, 2024.
03:28And activists are about to break into a factory.
03:34It's run by Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israel's largest weapons manufacturer,
03:40though it denies supplying parts for the Israeli army.
03:43The activists are from Palestine Action, a group dedicated to stopping weapons sales to Israel
03:49and ending what they claim is complicity with a genocidal and apartheid regime,
03:54something Israel strongly denies.
03:57Right, you're under arrest for criminal damage.
04:00Among those arrested for the break-in is my friend, Ellie Cameo.
04:04No, you don't have to do that legally.
04:06You don't have to do that.
04:07Get your car.
04:09Ow, you're fucking mad, mate.
04:12You're fucking mad, mate.
04:15Ellie's arrest over a year ago was the first time I or any of our friends had heard about Palestine
04:20Action.
04:20She's been held on remand ever since, and now some of her co-defendants have been hospitalised as part of
04:26a hunger strike.
04:27So who is this group that Ellie's involved with?
04:33Since Ellie was arrested, Palestine Action has been put on the UK's terror list alongside ISIS, Al-Qaeda and neo
04:41-Nazi groups.
04:42I want to find out why the government took the unprecedented decision to prescribe a direct action group.
04:50Prescribed is just a fancy word for banned, basically.
04:53But under the Terrorism Act, it's not just the group that's banned.
04:57Meeting with someone from the group may, in many instances, be banned.
05:01Downloading their videos and material may also be banned.
05:04Basically, anything that we need to do to investigate this group could land us on the wrongs of the law
05:10and technically get us arrested.
05:15Because of this, we've been told to run our investigation in complete digital isolation.
05:25All right, so look at this.
05:26This is Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, who made this decision.
05:30It's based on violent action and injuries that this group has taken, including on national security targets, but also injuries
05:41to people.
05:41And also some disturbing information referring to future planning as well.
05:47So she's sort of implying that she and the government have some kind of disturbing secret info about what Palestine
05:55Action are really up to that we don't yet know about.
05:58There will be people who do not know what the nature of this group is.
06:03But I would say to people, this is not a non-violent organization.
06:08Many MPs across the House disagreed with the government's decision to ban Palestine Action.
06:13Prescribing Palestine Action would be a draconian overreach.
06:16There are plenty of other legal methods that could be used to deal with this form of extremism.
06:25But ultimately, Parliament did approve the ban.
06:28Some say it was because Palestine Action was lumped into a single vote with two neo-Nazi groups,
06:35the Maniac Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement.
06:41So the eyes have it, the eyes have it. Unlock.
06:46With so much disagreement, what is the real truth about Palestine Action?
06:51To find out, I need to see the group in action.
06:54The UK branch has disbanded since the ban, but there are independent splinter groups across the world that do not
07:00fall under the prescription.
07:09So we've been speaking to a member of Palestine Action Ireland.
07:15Even though the group isn't prescribed here, the stuff they do is still illegal and speaking to us could get
07:20him in a lot of trouble.
07:27Our source, who calls himself D, wants to remain anonymous because Palestine Action Ireland is planning something.
07:37So what is Palestine Action Ireland?
07:40So we cause property damage in order to, like, economically sabotage our targets.
07:44Ultimately, we want to impose a cost on our targets so that the cost of dropping their ties with Elvis
07:51or stopping their connection with Israel is higher than the benefits of continuing to do so.
07:57Yeah, I see. Do you think it's up to you as a citizen to make that decision?
08:02Israel has killed thousands of people. People have been marching, petitioning, appealing to government officials.
08:10But all of that has amounted basically to nothing.
08:15Whatever Palestine Action have planned, we're told it's happening tonight.
08:25All right, so it's 4 a.m. and we've just got a text message from D.
08:30This is the location we've been told to wait at.
08:35That could be them right there, looking at the orange Hiva's vests.
08:44What are you planning when you get up there?
09:05Once they get onto the building, the vandalism begins.
09:10Collins Aerospace works with Elbit Systems USA and is also a subsidiary of RTX, an arms company that supplies hardware
09:18to the Israeli army.
09:20But Collins says this office only handles non-military contracts.
09:25It's already been about half an hour. I can hear the sounds of things being broken up in there.
09:30By the time these people come to work in the morning, their entire office could be completely destroyed.
09:38An hour on, and the smashing is complete.
09:42All that's left is for the activists to get arrested.
09:53By the time the police arrive in the morning, the two activists have locked themselves to the balcony.
09:59When D. told us to come here at 5 a.m., I had no idea I would be here eight
10:03hours later watching two people being dragged away on a crane.
10:08Eventually, the two are arrested and charged with trespass with the intent to cause criminal damage and burglary.
10:14We oppose genocide. We support genocide action.
10:18In the U.K., actions like this could now get you charged with terrorism.
10:24It's this harsher approach that's ignited a bitter debate.
10:37I'm trying to find out why Palestine Action UK was banned as a terrorist organization.
10:45My friend Eli Cameo is now on trial, charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage, and violent disorder.
10:53The prosecution is about to present evidence they say shows that Palestine Action is willing to use violence.
11:03The footage shows the six defendants holding sledgehammers inside Elbit's Bristol factory.
11:09The prosecution say they were prepared to use them as weapons.
11:14An activist called Samuel Corner is seen striking and injuring a police officer on the back.
11:20Some of the defendants say they were acting in self-defense and that a security guard swung a sledgehammer at
11:27them.
11:30The incident at Elbit's Bristol factory appears to be the only one where there are allegations that people have been
11:36injured by Palestine Action activists.
11:38Even though the group claims to have carried out 500 protests.
11:43But as Palestine Action's campaign has expanded to accountants, property firms, banks, and even universities,
11:50a group called the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism says their activity has created a climate of fear for the Jewish
11:57community.
11:59There's just been years now of people turning up at their places of work, usually places of work,
12:07finding that everything's covered in red paint, the computers have all been smashed, these are thuggish violence attacks.
12:15Palestine Action targeted an office block in London in 2024.
12:18It used to be the registered address for BICOM, a pro-Israel advocacy firm that works closely with politicians in
12:26the media.
12:27But their actual office was based elsewhere.
12:30It's very hard to see in some of these attacks what links there are that would legitimize this kind of
12:37thuggery.
12:37There is a common thread, though, that connects those seemingly unrelated attacks, and that tends to be that they are
12:44Jewish-owned businesses.
12:45Wouldn't Palestine Action say that, you know, BICOM advocates for continued arms sales to Israel?
12:52I wonder if there's a risk of conflating criticism of Israel with an attack on the Jewish population more generally.
12:58The fear that they cause in the Jewish community may not be their primary objective, but I think it's incidental
13:04to what they do.
13:05The government allowed this to happen, the police failed to act, time and time again.
13:10And it wasn't until RAF Bryce Norton gets attacked that the government finally says,
13:15oh, actually, maybe we should be doing something about this.
13:17That was very frustrating for a lot of us.
13:21It was Palestine Action's break-in at Bryce Norton to graffiti RAF planes that saw them added to the government's
13:28list of prescribed international terror groups,
13:31a list that includes neo-Nazis and al-Qaeda.
13:34The announcement of a ban on Palestine Action did follow the break-in at RAF Bryce Norton in June 2025.
13:42It was their first action against a UK military base.
13:45But I've seen documents that reveal Yvette Cooper was considering prescription for five months prior to the announcement.
13:52So, could there be another reason why they wanted to ban them under the Terrorism Act?
13:58I think I found something today that could be that disturbing information.
14:07So, it was reported in the Times that the Home Office is investigating a link to Iran.
14:14It says Iran could be funding Palestine Action, Home Office officials claimed.
14:20That's a huge claim.
14:21That changes things.
14:24The security services have been worried about Iran's activity on UK soil for years after a series of cyberattacks and
14:31attempted assassinations.
14:34U.S. intelligence now claim Iran is supporting pro-Palestine movements across the West in order to sow division.
14:44Okay, so, I've been digging into this idea that Iran funds kind of left-wing anti-Israel protests in the
14:51West.
14:53This is a woman called Kala Walsh.
14:56She's one of the co-founders of Palestine Action U.S.
15:00And this video, she's in Tehran on Iranian state television chanting death to America, death to Israel.
15:10Glory to all the martyrs.
15:12Glory to the axis of resistance.
15:15May we see victory within our lifetimes.
15:19Maghbar, America.
15:20Maghbar, Israel.
15:22Carla Walsh is from Palestine Action USA, which says it's independent from the U.K. group.
15:28But one of her associates has admitted to financially supporting both chapters of the organization.
15:34Very close to the front line between the Russians and the Ukrainians.
15:38Fergie Chambers is a radical communist who happens to have inherited hundreds of millions of dollars.
15:44He can be seen here controversially posting about his journey to the Ukrainian front line with special access to Russian
15:50forces.
15:51And using X to further promote his support for a Russian victory.
15:56He says America is his enemy.
15:58He's called Iran downright heroic.
16:01And he also backs Hamas, the Iran-backed militant group that attacked Israel on October 7th.
16:07And is prescribed as a terrorist organization in the U.K. and across Europe.
16:14Could he be the link to the Iranian regime that the Home Office was reportedly referring to?
16:19He rejects our initial requests.
16:22But suddenly, he agrees to chat.
16:29Hello.
16:30Hey, how are you?
16:33All right, how are you?
16:34Good, good. Thanks for speaking to me.
16:36The Home Office in the U.K. has briefed journalists to say that they're investigating a link between Palestine Action
16:43and Iran.
16:45Some people have said that that's...
16:47That's really crazy.
16:49Whenever anyone either explicitly offers a political opinion, you know, which is kind of counter to the respectable imperialist narrative.
16:59They try to talk about, you know, working for this or that state.
17:03They've never been there.
17:04I don't have contacts in the government there.
17:06I know some imams there.
17:08But I don't have connections to that.
17:10And I certainly don't think anyone in Palestine Action does.
17:13Have they ever, like, either Iran or Hamas, or I guess even Russia, ever reached out to you about...
17:37Are you still able to support Hamas given that they also kill civilians, including children, for example, on October 7th?
17:46There's no such thing as an active settler who's a civilian.
17:51I've never seen one shred of evidence that Hamas has targeted a child.
17:57But the children have died as a result of, for example, on October 7th, there were children who died.
18:02So there was an incredibly amount of friendly fire, and it's actually not clear who's responsible for what on that
18:08day.
18:08Yeah, but come on.
18:09But if you don't, I'm absolutely not going to believe how a liberation struggle wants to exercise its right to
18:20achieve that end of liberation
18:21when they've been met with nothing but blood for generations.
18:27And I find it offensive to even ask the question.
18:32According to Amnesty International, 36 children were killed by militants on October 7th.
18:39And against that backdrop, many would probably find Chambers' open support of Hamas shocking.
18:44Now, he denies funneling money on behalf of the Iranian regime.
18:49But maybe we're focusing on the wrong question.
18:51As some critics have argued, maybe when it comes to Iran, Hamas, and Palestine action,
18:58it's less a question of financial ties and more a question of ideological alignment.
19:20I've been invited to a small protest by Emma Cameo, the mother of my friend Ellie.
19:26So, what's in the coffin-shaped box?
19:28A lot of evidence to support the fact that Elbit Systems are committing war crimes.
19:34So, you want the UK police to investigate Elbit Systems?
19:38UK, yes.
19:40Elbit Systems UK denies supplying the Israeli army.
19:44But it's the man campaigning with Emma who's caught my attention.
19:48Frank McGuinness is a lawyer who represented Hamas in its bid to overturn its own UK terrorism ban.
19:55He's here in a personal capacity, but his highly controversial views on the state of Israel align with those of
20:01Hamas.
20:02Like the so-called state of Israel, Elbit Systems UK limited has no right to exist.
20:07We are going to defeat and dismantle the so-called state of Israel,
20:10shut Elbit down as part of the broader struggle for Palestinian emancipation from the river to the sea.
20:17Thanks very much.
20:21As well as representing Hamas, McGuinness tells me he used to represent Palestine Action UK too.
20:27Is he yet another controversial figure who just happens to be associated with Palestine Action?
20:33Or do the organization's leaders also share this desire to destroy Israel?
20:41I've been looking into Palestine Action's founders and have found something interesting.
20:46So this guy here, Richard Barnard, he is facing charges under the Terrorism Act for allegedly making comments in support
20:56of Hamas.
20:56And there's not much more we can really say about him because his criminal proceedings are ongoing.
21:03There's another founder of Palestine Action UK.
21:07Her name is Huda Amori.
21:10This whole time we've been meeting with Palestine Action's critics and associates.
21:14But the one person who can tell us what the group really stands for is Huda Amori herself.
21:28Through a source, we managed to make contact.
21:32I'm on my way to meet the founder of a terrorist organization.
21:36She's not currently facing any charges under the Terrorism Act as far as we know because the group was technically
21:42disbanded.
21:43But she has asked us not to disclose her current location.
22:01This is the first face-to-face interview she has given since the prescription of Palestine Action.
22:11Are you kind of the leader of, well, I guess, what's technically now the biggest domestic terror organization in the
22:18UK?
22:20Well, that's a funny way of pulling it, isn't it?
22:24Palestine Action Action wasn't about taking lives.
22:27It was about saving lives in Palestine.
22:30It's the very opposite of what a terrorist organization is to most people.
22:34But you're breaking the law.
22:36But we argue that our actions are actually lawful because we're acting to prevent a much greater war crime.
22:42We're acting to protect lives in Palestine.
22:45Has it worked?
22:47In many cases, yes.
22:49There have been Israeli weapons factories in Britain which have had to permanently shut down.
22:54But what I would say as well is that every action that stops the production of these weapons,
23:00if it's for a day, if it's for a week, if it's for a month, is a victory in and
23:05of itself.
23:06Some people have said that the actions of Palestine Action activists have created a kind of climate of fear for
23:13Jewish people in the UK.
23:14What do you say to those allegations?
23:17Palestine Action had targeted companies regardless of the identities of the owners.
23:22It was never about that.
23:23It was about the connection to the Israeli weapons industry.
23:26So, to be honest, I think when these types of accusations come up,
23:29it's actually weaponizing anti-Semitism in a lot of ways.
23:33And it's deliberately obfuscating the facts.
23:36The government has also mentioned concerns that the Palestine Action is influenced or potentially funded by Iran.
23:46I mean, it's a complete fabrication.
23:48The people who funded Palestine Action was, like, just ordinary people across the country who would give 20 quid here
23:57and there.
23:58But you can say you're investigating anyone for anything to create that, you know, element of doubt and to muddy
24:04a situation.
24:05There's also the issue that some members of Palestine Action have been accused of saying things in support of Hamas
24:13and are saying things in support of the October 7th massacre as well.
24:17Yeah.
24:18You know, it's easy to go and, like, pick and say, oh, this person got accused of this thing.
24:24And it's about what Palestine Action was about.
24:26We were about shutting down the weapons industry.
24:28Yeah.
24:29Is Hamas guilty of killing innocent civilians on October 7th?
24:33And should we condemn that?
24:35Every single life is sacred.
24:38And I think we have to look at, like, what Palestine Action as a group is calling for.
24:45You know, we are calling for protection of human life in Gaza.
24:50It should still be simple to condemn the killing of innocent Israelis as well.
24:57I think what I struggle with is the fact that I, you know, as a Palestinian, as an activist, need
25:06to condemn something to have some sort of legitimacy in this.
25:12Of course, there's no legal reason or any, you know, set-in-stone reason why you should have to condemn
25:18the actions of Hamas.
25:20But it's more that given the public perception of Palestine Action and given what some members of Palestine Action have
25:28said,
25:28that you might want to, you know, express that you don't share those views.
25:35What I can categorically say is that Palestine Action has never tried to, you know, express support or glorify internationally
25:45prescribed groups.
25:46It has taken direct action against the Israeli weapons trades.
25:52Many might find what Huda Omori says or doesn't say about Hamas and October 7th objectionable.
25:59But it isn't a terrorist offence.
26:06The Home Office and Palestine Action's critics have tried to justify the ban by pointing to some kind of extremist
26:13ideology or mysterious foreign backer.
26:17Amori denies all these allegations.
26:19And now, a leaked report suggests the real reason for prescribing the group may have been far less traumatic.
26:27I've got my hands on a leaked internal intelligence report on the group.
26:32This is MI5, MI6, counterterrorism police.
26:35This is the official document on the government's assessment of the terror threat of Palestine Action.
26:42I've been through this and we've heard so much about a potential link to Iran, ideological alignment with Hamas, violence
26:52against people.
26:54The reason that they say that this group crosses the line into terrorism is none of that.
26:59It's because three out of 385 total incidents mentioned had serious property damage to the extent that the group could
27:09be considered terrorist.
27:11Serious property damage carried out for an ideological or political cause technically meets the threshold for terrorism in the UK.
27:20The report says Palestine Action also crosses the legal threshold for prescription because they plan and promote this property damage.
27:30But just because they could prescribe Palestine Action doesn't mean they had to.
27:37After months of controversy, Palestine Action have been granted permission to challenge the ban in the high court.
27:45A major question the judges will need to answer is whether the ban is proportionate in relation to its impact
27:52on freedom of expression.
27:56The prescription process mostly occurs behind closed doors.
28:01But someone who is in the room as an observer has agreed to talk.
28:07Jonathan Hall is the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.
28:13What Palestine Action was doing was really serious damage.
28:18The assessment was made, and I think fairly, that the number of attacks that was happening was escalating.
28:25And also the nature of the attacks were getting more and more violent.
28:27So it wasn't good enough just to wait and see what they did and then try and catch the people.
28:33But you had to do something about the recruitment and the funding.
28:37And that's where terrorism legislation comes in.
28:41The government repeatedly did say that there is this disturbing plans for future attacks that, you know, if the public
28:47knew what, you know, what we knew, then they may not be supportive of this organization.
28:53Well, I regret that.
28:54I don't think it helps to sort of hint that there are sort of major pieces of sort of potentially
28:59secret information that are hidden away.
29:00And the way in which the government has put their prescription case is to say that they are involved in
29:06terrorism because they cause serious damage to property.
29:10But what you're saying, it just seems so different from how the government has described their reasoning.
29:15I mean, just think about the fact that the Home Office briefed some journalists that they were investigating links between
29:22Palestine Action and Iran.
29:24I mean, yeah, I don't, I don't understand that.
29:27And I think.
29:29Was that a mistake?
29:30Yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's a nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
29:32Well, it's, it's wrong.
29:33It's wrong.
29:34There's a challenge at the moment to the banning of Palestine Action in the High Court.
29:39The High Court has power to look at secret evidence.
29:42So if there is secret evidence, the High Court will be able to look at that and determine it.
29:46But I don't agree with the idea of sort of nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
29:50And if there is any secret evidence about Iran or Hamas, we won't be able to find it out, will
29:56we?
29:57No, I mean, I don't think you should get too excited about that.
30:01You don't think there's anything there?
30:03Not that I'm aware of.
30:08The government appeared to have briefed the media on potential Iranian links, spoken about the group's willingness to use violence
30:17and disturbing plans for future attacks.
30:19But these things aren't supported by their own independent advisor, nor their own internal intelligence report.
30:28Could the government have done this because they knew that a ban based on property damage alone would be unpopular?
30:35One, two, three, lift!
30:37You only have to look at the ongoing protests to see how much anger this ban has ignited.
30:51We've seen documents that might reveal that the government has overstated its justification for banning Palestine action to the public.
31:00The group only crossed the threshold because of the damage it caused to property.
31:05It's the first time that direct action activism has been prescribed in the UK, and protests have erupted across the
31:12country.
31:13Why are you here today?
31:15This legislation is such a huge overreach of our human rights, of our right to protest.
31:21And if our government can do this to Palestine action, when they clearly don't meet the criteria to be a
31:25terrorist organization, it's such a slippery slope and it can happen to anyone.
31:30There have already been seven protests since the prescription came into force two months ago.
31:34Today, another thousand people are expected in Parliament Square to hold signs reading, I support Palestine action.
31:43Big Ben has just bombed, which symbolizes the time that everyone now has to be quiet and write on their
31:49sign, I support Palestine action, which then makes them arrestable.
32:01Expressing support for Palestine action is now a terrorist offense, with a maximum sentence of six months.
32:08Absolute vultures.
32:10This is no longer my country.
32:11I don't recognize it.
32:13For the government, the issue is snowballed from a ban on one group to a standoff with huge numbers of
32:19civilians willing to break the law to oppose their decision.
32:25It's an act of civil disobedience, organized by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, who have taken up the fight.
32:32It is a genocide. We can see it's a genocide.
32:35Nothing compares with stopping a genocide.
32:39So, to prescribe Palestine action, people standing up for what's right, I mean, that is a misuse of our laws
32:47to shut down protests.
32:49The government might say that there are plenty of ways to support Palestine that don't involve supporting a prescribed organization.
32:58Hundreds of thousands of people marching.
33:00I've marched with my grandchildren.
33:02I've marched with my daughter and my son and my husband.
33:04And the government didn't listen.
33:08Israel denies committing genocide and says that it's acting entirely in self-defense.
33:13But this isn't just about Gaza.
33:15People are now angry about what they see as an attack on free speech.
33:20Shame on you all!
33:21And the police are struggling to cope.
33:26Things are getting a bit more violent.
33:30Could the government's messaging around Palestine action be making these protests worse?
33:37The government has said on a couple occasions that people who support our Palestine action don't really know the true
33:43nature of the organization.
33:44There could be something perhaps more sinister going on.
33:47What do you make of that?
33:47You know, if there is some kind of sinister underbelly to Palestine action, please tell me, please tell the people,
33:53please release that to the media.
33:55But until it's released, it doesn't exist, in my opinion.
34:00Eventually, nearly 500 people are arrested.
34:06And police aren't just targeting protesters.
34:12You two live here?
34:14Uh, this is what happens.
34:17Britain in 2025.
34:19And the other hand?
34:20Proposing genocide.
34:2426-year-old Paddy Friend is accused of helping organize the protests on behalf of Defend Our Juries.
34:30He was arrested under the Terrorism Act after a dawn raid of his home.
34:35See you later, Paddy.
34:43Hey, Paddy, it's Matt.
34:45We're just at the train station.
34:46Are you on your way here?
34:49Yeah.
34:49Yeah, we should be there in, like, five minutes.
34:50Great.
34:52He's been charged with three counts of organizing support for a prescribed organization, and I've come to meet him as
34:59he attends a pretrial hearing.
35:03Hey, Paddy.
35:04Hey, Matt.
35:04How's it going?
35:05Good to meet you.
35:06Hey.
35:06Hiya, I'm Dara.
35:07Dara, Matt, good to meet you.
35:09Shall we?
35:09Yeah.
35:13They're serious offenses with a maximum sentence of 14 years.
35:19When they first arrested me, I kind of, yeah, in my head, like, I could do about two years, and
35:26I, that, I could, I could do that, I don't know, I could do that and life would go on,
35:31but, like, this is, like, quite a life-altering amount of time.
35:35Which is, uh, yeah, pretty scary, to be honest.
35:42The offenses took place on a public Zoom call, where Paddy is alleged to have briefed Defend Our Jury's protesters,
35:50who are considering holding a sign in support of Palestine action.
35:54There's this sort of self-fulfilling logic, where they say, well, this is a prescribed organization, therefore you can't say
36:01anything, and the point is, we strongly disagree.
36:06We don't think they should have been prescribed.
36:09Freedom of speech is supposed to mean something, right?
36:11Freedom of expression.
36:12Freedom of expression, for it to actually retain its meaning, one needs to be able to express an opinion that
36:19the government doesn't like.
36:20Freedom of expression, for it to be able to express an opinion that the government doesn't like.
36:50The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Council of Europe are both arguing that the UK's terrorism laws
36:57limit freedom of speech.
36:58The UN Commissioner also argues that serious property damage carried out for a political or ideological cause does not meet
37:06the international definition of terrorism.
37:10Lord Hayne was in government when the Terrorism Act was introduced in the year 2000.
37:14There was no sense that I felt at the time, as a government minister, no sense that it would be
37:21applied, for example, to Palestine action protesters.
37:24There are plenty of provisions in the law, including criminal damage itself, that they can be charged with.
37:32There's no need, and nor is it justified, to label them terrorists.
37:36I'm worried that once you start labelling people terrorists, you then start catching all sorts of protesters.
37:44Would have caught the suffragettes, could have caught anti-apartheid protesters, and that cannot be justified.
37:53This is no longer just about Palestine action.
37:56The country is now at a crucial turning point, where it's debating what it defines as terrorism and what it
38:03defines as protest.
38:07Do you really think that there is a moral equivalence between someone who supports ISIS and somebody who supports Palestine
38:16action?
38:16It's an anti-West group that is attacking our military.
38:22The law itself is unworkable.
38:24They compare themselves to the suffragettes. I don't think there's any comparison there at all.
38:31Defend Our Juries are holding another protest.
38:35If they hoped the mass arrests would force the government to lift the ban, the strategy isn't working.
38:41It's interesting how the police's tactics have changed.
38:44They've got police vans lined up all around Trafalgar Square,
38:48and they're sending groups of police in to pick people off one by one, process them here,
38:54put them in the van, and take them to police station.
38:57The government, the police, the protesters, they're all doubling down.
39:02Sorry, the police are coming in thick and fast now.
39:05There's probably been a few hundred arrests already. They're really ramping them up.
39:11Margie Mansfield is in the crowd.
39:13Her husband Richard is protesting despite the prospect of six months in jail.
39:18I think he's being brave. Everybody here is being...
39:21Is part of you want to be like, all right, let's just put the sign away and maybe just go
39:25home and have dinner?
39:26No, not at all.
39:27We oppose the other side, and that is the whole message.
39:29And we think it's wrong that the government has prescribed his terrorist laws incorrectly.
39:34One, two, three, up!
39:37I don't know how it's going to keep going.
39:39I mean, the resources, the manpower, the money this is all costing.
39:43It's difficult to see how this is going to end.
39:46By the end of the day, the total number of arrests made since the prescription of Palestine action has surpassed
39:522,000.
39:54And as if people weren't angry enough already,
39:57the government is about to introduce yet another controversial restriction on protest.
40:10After a protest by supporters of Palestine action,
40:13Home Secretary gave police new powers to allow them to consider the cumulative impact of repeated protests.
40:20Having already taken the step of banning a direct action protest group,
40:25the UK government is now controversially starting to clamp down on repeated street protests too.
40:31We're told discontent is growing among the civil service.
40:36And a senior civil servant in the Home Office has got in touch.
40:40They've asked to remain anonymous, so their words are spoken by an actor.
40:44So, what's your role at the Home Office?
40:47So, I'm a senior civil servant in the Home Office.
40:51I can't really tell you what I do for a job without identifying myself.
40:54But I felt I had to speak out and say that I and many other people who work in the
41:02Home Office,
41:03including other senior civil servants, feel that this prescription is wrong.
41:08How many people do you think feel this way?
41:10I do hear a significant number of colleagues expressing disquiet.
41:17What sorts of things are they saying?
41:20They worry about the impact of freedom of speech.
41:23They worry about whether this is good, well-balanced decision-making.
41:28There were also new restrictions on protests announced. Is that right?
41:33That just seems to be part of the same attempt to curtail the right to freedom of speech.
41:41So, where could these calls for tougher action on both Palestine action and repeated pro-Palestine protests be coming from?
41:48I've managed to get hold of some documents that suggest that Elbit Systems was actually meeting with the Home Office
41:56about Palestine action for years.
41:59So, this first document comes from a freedom of information request and dates back to 2022.
42:07It's a briefing note shared among Home Office colleagues ahead of a meeting with Elbit UK's chief executive.
42:14We've also found internal emails detailing other meetings with Elbit UK.
42:20This one is from 2023.
42:24It says here,
42:25Reassure Elbit Systems UK and the wider sector affected by Palestine action
42:29that the government cares about the harm the group are causing the private sector.
42:36Lobbying isn't illegal.
42:38And in fact, restrictions on Palestine action and restrictions on repeat protests
42:42were recommended in one report
42:45by the government's former advisor on political violence, Lord Walney.
42:49He says he supports the right to protest.
42:53So, I want to find out why he recommended these policies.
43:00When you looked at the example of Palestine action,
43:04they had been running a criminal sabotage campaign for a number of years.
43:11I think most people look at that and think,
43:12that is madness.
43:14Why are we allowing this organization to exist?
43:17Where do you draw the line?
43:20Because I think, you know, you're talking about direct action.
43:23Criminal sabotage.
43:24Criminal sabotage.
43:25Because I think it is not the benign thing
43:28that those on the far left who employ it would like you to think it is.
43:32But your report also does mention, you know,
43:35regular pro-Palestine marches as well as potentially being criminal.
43:39What the consequence of these weekly Gaza marches
43:44with this extremism within the margins of them
43:47has been to make city centres feel like a highly intimidating place
43:54for many Jewish people.
43:57There's a host of ways in this modern democracy in which we work
44:00that you can get your point across.
44:02It does not have to be, like, every Saturday you're taking over the town centre
44:07with this kind of atmosphere,
44:09which does feel highly intimidating to many people.
44:13The organisers of the protest themselves may say
44:16that it does deserve a weekly protest,
44:19considering that, you know,
44:20it is one of the largest slaughters of civilians
44:23happening in the world today.
44:25And in your report, you also recommend
44:28that the organisers of such protests
44:31should be potentially held liable
44:33for the damages those protests cause.
44:36I mean, doesn't that kind of, in a way,
44:38affect our freedom of expression
44:39and freedom to protest generally?
44:41The right to protest is not,
44:43as in all our rights in the UK, really.
44:46It is not an unqualified right
44:48in that it is there without any due regard
44:52to other people's rights.
44:53And it does seem like the specific focus of yours
44:56has been the pro-Palestine marches.
44:58Well, those are the marches that are happening.
45:02What's your response to critics of yours
45:06who have pointed to the fact that you, you know,
45:08have had paid positions for the defence lobby as well
45:11and how that might affect your ability
45:13to be an independent adviser on these protests?
45:15Well, I have looked at this issue systematically
45:19and independently and produced a very long
45:25and, I think, well-evidenced report.
45:28And what about critics who pointed to the fact
45:31that you previously were a chair for Labour Friends of Israel
45:34and how that may affect your ability
45:35to independently advise on these protests?
45:39The UK is a friend of Israel.
45:45Is being a friend of Israel the right position to have
45:48given the mass slaughter of civilians
45:50that has been going on in Gaza?
45:55Well, what you say on that is highly contested.
46:01Which part of the...?
46:03Obviously, Israel does not,
46:06and I don't think the UK government accepts
46:07your characterisation of the conflict.
46:13And I was brought in by the government
46:15to look specifically at our protest laws,
46:20and I've tried to do that in a dispassionate way.
46:24Israel kills children!
46:27Israel kills children!
46:29Five months on from the banning of Palestine action,
46:32the High Court is about to consider
46:33whether that decision was lawful and proportionate.
46:36This will determine the fate of the thousands
46:39who have been arrested in connection with the ban,
46:42defining the boundary between protest and terrorism.
46:49But before they announce their decision,
46:52a jury delivers its verdict in the trial
46:54of my friend, Ellie Cameo.
46:58By the time I get to court,
47:00a large crowd has arrived to mark the end
47:02of the most serious Palestine action-related court case yet.
47:05On the charge of aggravated burglary,
47:09all six defendants were found not guilty.
47:16Ellie Cameo is found not guilty of one charge.
47:20Three of the activists are found not guilty of violent disorder.
47:24But on all remaining charges,
47:26including the charge of violent disorder against Ellie,
47:29the jury failed to reach a verdict.
47:31The jury failed to convict my daughter Ellie
47:35and the other five who took courageous action
47:37to stop a genocide.
47:39The past 18 months have been harrowing
47:42and I now need to take her home to heal
47:44and rebuild our lives.
47:46She has lost everything,
47:48her home in London and her livelihood,
47:50but not her dignity.
47:53For now, a group of Ellie's peers
47:55have not been able to agree
47:57whether her direct action protest was criminal.
48:02Following the verdict,
48:04the judge has granted Ellie
48:05and four of her co-defendants bail.
48:09Palestine action supporters see it as a victory.
48:13But the verdict has sparked nationwide controversy
48:16with politicians, Jewish groups
48:19and leading police organisations all voicing concern.
48:22And now, the CPS is seeking a retrial.
48:28Whoa, I'm in a car, I'm not handcuffed!
48:31Woooo!
48:33Bye!
48:36I'll kill you!
48:38After a year and a half in prison,
48:41this is the first interview with Ellie Cameo.
48:44How do you feel?
48:45Uh, really overwhelmed.
48:47Is this really surreal that I'm here interviewing you?
48:49Yeah, sorry. Am I being too weird?
48:51No, no, it's surreal for me too.
48:53Okay.
48:54What's the one thing you're looking forward to doing now?
48:58Being treated like a human being.
49:01Like, you don't get that in prison.
49:04Like, were you expecting
49:06that you'd get this level of attention,
49:08that this would turn into this big of a story
49:10and that, you know,
49:13Palestine action would be designated
49:14as terrorists by the government?
49:16No.
49:17Yeah, no, definitely not.
49:18It wasn't like I was naive,
49:20but it was like, like,
49:20there was like 400 other actions before ours.
49:25And to my knowledge, everything had been fine.
49:28But I also feel like,
49:34it was inevitably going to happen
49:35because it was building up.
49:36And like, if, like,
49:37the government doesn't like Palestine action
49:39because it's embarrassing.
49:40It's embarrassing for so many people
49:41to get acquitted time and time again.
49:43So, there's been a lot of press about Palestine action
49:47since you've been inside.
49:49And some have pointed to the fact that, like,
49:52members of Palestine action have said things
49:54in support of October 7th
49:55or hinted that there's this idea
49:57that Palestine action is funded by Iran
50:00or that it creates a climate of fear for Jewish people.
50:03What do you make about all those allegations?
50:08Obviously, it's not true.
50:10Like, the reason why I did this
50:12was because I opposed, like,
50:14killing innocent lives.
50:16Including, like, what happened on October 7th?
50:18Yes, of course.
50:19Yeah.
50:20Palestine action was just about normal people
50:23who don't agree that a company like Elbit
50:26should be making these horrific weapons and drones.
50:31We tried marching.
50:32We tried talking to our MPs.
50:33Nobody did anything.
50:34So, we were like,
50:34right, well, we'll just have to go
50:36and smash up these weapons ourselves then.
50:39That's why I did it,
50:40because I had no other option.
50:41And that's why everybody should care about this.
50:43It's not just about Palestine action
50:45and it being prescribed.
50:46It's about people having the right to protest.
50:51Under UK law today,
50:53damaging property to advance a political cause
50:56is enough for governments to place activists
50:58in the same legal category as mass casualty bombers.
51:03But that doesn't mean they have to.
51:05Were they reaching for the bluntest tool
51:08to contain dissent?
51:09And in doing so,
51:11have they deepened divisions rather than resolve them?
51:14For some, the question is whether
51:16Palestine action are terrorists.
51:18But for others,
51:19it's whether our terrorism laws are too broad,
51:23especially given their impact on free speech.
51:26are they pushing for off against?
51:56For no reason,
52:22Transcription by CastingWords