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Dispatches investigates why the government banned direct action group Palestine Action, a decision that has sparked intense debate and led to thousands of arrests.
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00:06A
00:07Suspected terrorism offense 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 fans just come and a bunch of police officers have just come out
00:30To 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
00:37After the government officially banned them under the Terrorism Act
00:41I support Palestine action. They should be arresting the real terrorists
00:45Palestine action are radical activists who break into factories and military bases as a form of protest they call direct
00:57action
01:06The group and the government's decision to ban them have divided the country
01:11They're scumbags, but not Isis. Yeah, I think they've got their knickers in a twist
01:15Let these people realize that there are consequences to their illegal actions
01:21Some say they are dangerous extremists
01:25This is an organization that in its bone wants to frighten people
01:29Could 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
01:43Fighting an alleged genocide
01:45Nothing compares with stopping a genocide
01:49The protests have quickly become the biggest act of civil disobedience in the country's recent history
01:55Police have arrested around 150 people
01:58More than 200 people
01:58900 people arrested in London at the weekend
02:01Many are accusing the government of crushing free speech
02:05But they're not backing down
02:08People don't know the full nature of this organization
02:11This is not a non-violent organization
02:14I've witnessed a Palestine action break in first hand in Ireland
02:18The 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
02:32What you're saying it just seems so different from how the government has described their reasoning
02:37All in pursuit of one question
02:40Was the government right to ban Palestine action?
02:51On October 7th, 2023
02:53Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups attacked Israel
02:57Killing over 1,200 people
02:59And abducting 251
03:02Since then, Israel's response has killed 70,000 people in Gaza
03:08Among 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
03:36A subsidiary of Israel's largest weapons manufacturer
03:40Though it denies supplying parts for the Israeli army
03:43The activists are from Palestine Action
03:46A group dedicated to stopping weapons sales to Israel
03:49And ending what they claim is complicity
03:51With a genocidal and apartheid regime
03:54Something Israel strongly denies
03:56Right, you're under arrest for criminal damage
03:59I'm afraid
04:00Among those arrested for the break-in
04:02Is my friend, Elie Cameo
04:04No, you don't have to do that legally
04:06You don't have to do that
04:07Get your car
04:08Ow, you're fucking hurting me
04:11You're fucking hurting me
04:14Elie's arrest over a year ago
04:16Was the first time I or any of our friends
04:19Had heard about Palestine Action
04:20She's been held on remand ever since
04:22And now some of her co-defendants
04:24Have been hospitalized as part of a hunger strike
04:27So who is this group that Elie's involved with?
04:33Since Elie was arrested, Palestine Action
04:35Has been put on the UK's terror list
04:38Alongside ISIS, Al-Qaeda and neo-Nazi groups
04:42I want to find out why the government took the unprecedented decision
04:46To prescribe a direct action group
04:50Prescribed is just a fancy word for banned basically
04:52But under the terrorism act
04:54It's not just the group that's banned
04:56Meeting with someone from the group
04:58May in many instances be banned
05:01Downloading their videos and material
05:02May also be banned
05:04Basically anything that we need to do
05:06To investigate this group
05:08Could land us on the wrong side of the law
05:09And technically get us arrested
05:14Because of this, we've been told to run our investigation
05:17In complete digital isolation
05:25Alright, so look at this
05:26This is Yvette Cooper
05:27The Home Secretary
05:28Who made this decision
05:29It's based on violent action and injuries
05:35That this group has taken
05:37Including on national security targets
05:39But also injuries to people
05:41And also some disturbing information
05:44Referring to future planning as well
05:47So she's sort of implying that
05:49She and the government have
05:51Some kind of disturbing secret info
05:54About what Palestine Action are really up to
05:56That we don't yet know about
05:58There will be people
05:59Who do not know
06:01What the nature of this group is
06:03But I would say to people
06:04This is not a non-violent organisation
06:08Many MPs across the House
06:09Disagreed with the government's decision
06:11To ban Palestine Action
06:12Prescribing Palestine Action
06:14Would be a draconian overreach
06:16There are plenty of other legal methods
06:19That could be used
06:21To deal with this form of extremism
06:25But ultimately Parliament did approve the ban
06:28Some say it was because
06:30Palestine Action was lumped into a single vote
06:32With two neo-Nazi groups
06:34The Maniac Murder Cult
06:36And the Russian Imperial Movement
06:41So the eyes have it
06:43The eyes have it
06:45Unlock
06:45With so much disagreement
06:47What is the real truth about Palestine Action?
06:50To find out, I need to see the group in action
06:53The UK branch has disbanded since the ban
06:56But there are independent splinter groups across the world
06:59That do not fall under the prescription
07:09So we've been speaking to a member of Palestine Action Ireland
07:14Even though the group isn't prescribed here
07:17The stuff they do is still illegal
07:18And speaking to us could get him in a lot of trouble
07:27Our source, who calls himself D, wants to remain anonymous
07:31Because Palestine Action Ireland is planning something
07:36So what is Palestine Action Ireland?
07:39So we cause property damage in order to like economically sabotage our targets
07:44Ultimately we want to impose a cost on our targets
07:47So that the cost of dropping their ties with Elvis
07:51Or stopping their connection with Israel
07:53Is higher than the benefits of continuing to do so
07:57I see, do you think it's up to you as a citizen to make that decision?
08:02Israel has killed thousands of people
08:05People have been marching, petitioning, appealing to government officials
08:10But all of that has amounted basically to nothing
08:14Whatever Palestine Action have planned, we're told it's happening tonight
08:25All right, so it's 4am 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
08:36Look in the orange Hiva's vests
08:44What are you planning when you get up there?
08:47What are you planning when you get up there?
08:47To try evict powder
08:50And any affiliates on Aerospace
08:53Right beyond RTMs
08:55We're trying to do the job that the government should be doing
09:05Once they get onto the building, the vandalism begins
09:10Collins Aerospace works with Elbit Systems USA
09:13And is also a subsidiary of RTX
09:16An arms company that supplies hardware to the Israeli army
09:20But Collins says this office only handles non-military contracts
09:25It's already been about half an hour
09:26I can hear the sounds of things being broken up in there
09:30By the time these people come to work in the morning
09:32Their entire office could be completely destroyed
09:38An hour on, and the smashing is complete
09:41All that's left is for the activists to get arrested
09:53By the time the police arrive in the morning
09:55The two activists have locked themselves to the balcony
09:59When D told us to come here at 5am
10:01I had no idea I would be here 8 hours later
10:03Watching two people being dragged away on a crane
10:07Eventually, the two are arrested and charged with trespass
10:11With the intent to cause criminal damage and burglary
10:14We oppose genocide
10:16We support Palestine action
10:18In the UK, 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
10:48Charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage, and violent disorder
10:53The prosecution is about to present evidence
10:55They 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
11:12An 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
11:23And that a security guard swung a sledgehammer at them
11:30The incident at Elbit's Bristol factory appears to be the only one where there are allegations
11:35That people have been injured 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
11:56community
11:59There's just been years now of people turning up at their places of work, usually places of work
12:06Finding that everything's covered in red paint, the computers have all been smashed, these are thuggish violent 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
12:26But their actual office was based elsewhere
12:30It is very hard to see, in some of these attacks, what links there are that would legitimize this kind
12:36of thuggery
12:37There is a common thread, though, that connects those seemingly unrelated attacks
12:42And that tends to be that they are Jewish-owned businesses
12:44Wouldn't Palestine Action say that, you know, BICOM advocates for continued arms sales to Israel
12:51I 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
13:03But I think it's incidental to 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
13:27list of prescribed international terror groups
13:30A 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
13:41It 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?
13:59I think I found something today that could be that disturbing information
14:06So, 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, that changes things
14:24The security services have been worried about Iran's activity on UK soil for years
14:29After a series of cyber attacks and attempted assassinations
14:34US intelligence now claim Iran is supporting pro-Palestine movements across the West
14:40In 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
14:52This is a woman called Kala Walsh
14:56She's one of the co-founders of Palestine Action US
14:59And this video, she's in Tehran, on Iranian state television, chanting death to America, death to Israel
15:09Glory to all the martyrs, glory to the axis of resistance
15:14May we see victory within our lifetimes
15:18Maghbar America
15:19Maghbar Israel
15:22Kala Walsh is from Palestine Action USA
15:24Which says it's independent from the UK group
15:27But 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
15:37Fergie Chambers is a radical communist
15:40Who happens to have inherited hundreds of millions of dollars
15:43He can be seen here controversially posting about his journey to the Ukrainian front line
15:48With special access to Russian forces
15:50And 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
16:00And he also backs Hamas
16:02The Iran-backed militant group that attacked Israel on October 7th
16:06And is prescribed as a terrorist organization in the UK and across Europe
16:14Could he be the link to the Iranian regime
16:17That the home office was reportedly referring to
16:19He rejects our initial requests
16:22But suddenly he agrees to chat
16:29Hello
16:29Hey, how are you?
16:32Alright, how are you?
16:34Good, good. Thanks for speaking to me
16:35The home office in the UK has briefed journalists to say that they're investigating a link between Palestine Action and
16:43Iran
16:45Some people have said that that's
16:47That's really crazy
16:49Whenever anyone either
16:52Explicitly offers a political opinion
16:55You 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
17:02They've never been there
17:04I don't have contacts in the government there
17:06I know some imams there
17:07But I don't, like, have connections to that
17:10And I certainly don't think anyone in Palestine actually does
17:12Have they ever, like, either Iran or Hamas, or I guess even Russia, ever reached out to you about
17:20No, no, no
17:21We may be in solidarity with some foreign struggle
17:25I mean, I support Hamas
17:27Do I materially support them? No
17:28I don't have the means or the capability to do that
17:32And it's illegal to the point that it would endanger the other work I do in an unnecessary and unstrategic
17:37way
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
18:01So that there was an incredibly amount of friendly fire
18:04And it's actually not clear who's responsible for what on that day
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
18:19achieve that end of liberation
18:21When they've been met with nothing but blood for generations
18:26And I find it offensive to even ask the question
18:32According to Amnesty International, 36 children were killed by militants on October 7th
18:38And 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
18:54Maybe when it comes to Iran, Hamas, and Palestine action
18:58It's less a question of financial ties
19:00And more a question of ideological alignment
19:19I'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?
19:28There's a 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?
19:38The UK, 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
20:20As 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
20:45So this guy here, Richard Barnard
20:49He is facing charges under the Terrorism Act for allegedly making comments in support of 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
21:13But the one person who can tell us what the group really stands for is Huda Amori herself
21:27Through a source we managed to make contact
21:31I'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
21:40Because the group was technically disbanded
21:42But she has asked us not to disclose her current location
21:54Hi Huda
21:55Hi, good to meet you
21:57Thanks for meeting with us
22:01This is the first face-to-face interview she has given since the prescription of Palestine Action
22:10Are 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 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
22:35But 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
22:48There 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
23:05Some people have said that the actions of Palestine Action activists have created a kind of climate of fear for
23:12Jewish people in the UK
23:14What do you say to those allegations?
23:17Palestine Action has targeted companies regardless of the identities of the owners
23:21It was never about that, it was about the connection to the Israeli weapons industry
23:26So to be honest, I think when these types of accusations come up, it's actually weaponizing anti-Semitism in a
23:32lot of ways
23:32And 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
23:51Was, like, just ordinary people across the country who would give 20 quid here and there
23:57But you can say you're investigating anyone for anything to create that, you know, element of doubt
24:03And to muddy a situation
24:05There's also the issue that some members of Palestine Action have been accused of
24:10Saying things in support of Hamas and saying things in support of the October 7th massacre as well
24:17Yeah, you know, it's easy to go and, like, pick and say, this person got accused of this thing
24:23And it's about what Palestine Action was about
24:25We were about shutting down the weapons industry
24:27Yeah, is 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
24:42Mm-hmm
24:43Is calling for, you 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
25:08To have some sort of legitimacy in this
25:11Of 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
25:19But it's more that, given the public perception of Palestine Action, and given what some members of Palestine Action have
25:28said, that you might want to, you know, express that you don't share those views
25:34What 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
26:16Amori denies all these allegations, and now, a leaked report suggests the real reason for prescribing the group may have
26:25been far less traumatic
26:26I've got my hands on a leaked internal intelligence report on the group
26:31This is MI5, MI6, counter-terrorism police
26:35This is the official document on the government's assessment of the terror threat of Palestine Action
26:41I've been through this, and we've heard so much about a potential link to Iran, ideological alignment with Hamas, violence
26:51against people
26:53The 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
27:08be considered a 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
28:00But 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
28:17The assessment was made, and I think fairly, that the number of attacks that was happening was escalating
28:24And 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
28:46That, you know, if the public knew what, you know, what we knew, then they may not be supportive of
28:51this organisation
28:52Well, I regret that
28:53I don't think it helps to sort of hint that there are sort of
28:57Major pieces of sort of potentially secret information that are hidden away
29:00And the way in which the government has put their prescription case
29:04Is to say that they are involved in terrorism 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
29:20That they were investigating links between Palestine Action and Iran
29:24I mean...
29:25Yeah, I don't understand that, and I think...
29:29Was that a mistake?
29:30Yeah, yeah, it's a sort of nudge-nudge, wink-wink
29:32Well, it's wrong, it's wrong
29:34There's a challenge at the moment to the banning of Palestine Action in the High Court
29:38The 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?
29:56No, I mean, I don't think you should get too excited about that
30:00You don't think there's anything there?
30:02Not that I'm aware of
30:08The government appeared to have briefed the media on potential Iranian links
30:13Spoken about the group's willingness to use violence and disturbing plans for future attacks
30:19But these things aren't supported by their own independent advisor, nor their own internal intelligence report
30:27Could the government have done this because they knew that a ban based on property damage alone would be unpopular?
30:34One, two, three, left!
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
31:04It's the first time that direct action activism has been prescribed in the UK
31:09And protests have erupted across the country
31:13Why are you here today?
31:14This legislation is such a huge overreach of our human rights, of our right to protest
31:20And if our government can do this to Palestine action when they clearly don't meet the criteria to be a
31:25terrorist organization
31:26It's such a slippery slope and it can happen to anyone
31:29There 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
31:42Big Ben has just bombed, which symbolizes the time that everyone now has to be quiet and write on their
31:49sign
31:49I support Palestine action, which then makes them arrestable
31:53The police are already circling and getting ready to arrest
32:01Expressing support for Palestine action is now a terrorist offense with a maximum sentence of six months
32:08Absolute bultures, this is no longer my country, I don't reckon it
32:12For the government, the issue is snowballed from a ban on one group
32:17To a standoff with huge numbers of civilians willing to break the law to oppose their decision
32:24It's an act of civil disobedience
32:27Organized by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, who have taken up the fight
32:31It is a genocide, we can see it's a genocide
32:34Nothing compares with stopping a genocide
32:38So, to prescribe Palestine action
32:42People standing up for what's right
32:44I mean, that is a misuse of our laws to shut down protests
32:49The government might say that there are plenty of ways to support Palestine
32:54That don't involve supporting a prescribed organization
32:57Hundreds of thousands of people marching, I've marched with my grandchildren
33:01I'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
33:12But this isn't just about Gaza
33:14People 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
33:41Don't really know the true nature of the organization
33:44There could be something perhaps more sinister going on
33:46What do you make of that?
33:47You know, if there is some kind of sinister underbelly to Palestine action
33:51Please tell me, please tell the people, please release that to the media
33:54But until it's released, it doesn't exist in my opinion
34:01Eventually, nearly 500 people are arrested
34:06And police aren't just targeting protesters
34:12Do you live here?
34:14Do you live here?
34:14Uh, yeah, this is what happens
34:17Britain in 2025
34:19On the other hand?
34:20Proposing genocide
34:2126-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
34:44We're just at the train station
34:46Are you on your way here?
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
34:57And I've come to meet him as he attends a pre-trial hearing
35:02Hey Paddy
35:03Hey Matt
35:04How's it going?
35:05Good to meet you
35:05Hey
35:06Hi, I'm Dara
35:07Dara, Matt, good to meet you
35:08Shall we?
35:09Yeah
35:13They're serious offenses with a maximum sentence of 14 years
35:19When they first arrested me, I kind of
35:22Yeah, in my head like I could do about two years
35:26And like that
35:27I could, I could do that
35:28I don't know, I could do that and life would go on
35:30But like this is like quite a life-altering amount of time
35:35Which is, yeah, pretty scary to be honest
35:42The offenses took place on a public Zoom call
35:45Where Paddy is alleged to have briefed defend our jury's protestors
35:49Who are considering holding a sign in support of Palestine action
35:54There's this sort of self-fulfilling logic
35:57Where they say, well this is a prescribed organization
36:00Therefore you can't say anything
36:02And the point is, we strongly disagree
36:06We don't think they should have been prescribed
36:08Freedom of speech is supposed to mean something, right?
36:11Freedom of expression
36:12For it to actually retain its meaning
36:15One needs to be able to express an opinion that the government doesn't like
36:30They love you!
36:35Whatever you think about Palestine action
36:37The idea that someone could face up to 14 years in jail
36:42For organizing a protest in the UK
36:44Is hard to get your head around
36:49The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
36:51And the Council of Europe
36:53Are both arguing that the UK's terrorism laws limit freedom of speech
36:58The UN Commissioner also argues that serious property damage carried out
37:03For a political or ideological cause
37:05Does not meet the international definition of terrorism
37:09Lord 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
37:19No sense that it would be applied, for example, to Palestine action protesters
37:24There are plenty of provisions in the law, including criminal damage itself
37:29That 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 labeling people terrorists
37:40You then start catching all sorts of protesters
37:44Would have caught the suffragettes
37:46Could have caught anti-apartheid protesters
37:49And that cannot be justified
37:53This is no longer just about Palestine action
37:56The country is now at a crucial turning point
37:59Where it's debating what it defines as terrorism
38:02And what it defines as protest
38:07Do you really think that there is a moral equivalence between someone who supports ISIS
38:13And somebody who supports Palestine action?
38:16It's an anti-West group that is attacking our military
38:21The law itself is unworkable
38:23They compare themselves to the suffragettes
38:25I don't think there's any comparison there at all
38:31Defend our juries are holding another protest
38:34If they hoped the mass arrests would force the government to lift the ban
38:38The strategy isn't working
38:41It's interesting how the police's tactics have changed
38:43They'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
38:52Process them here, put them in the van and take them to the 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
39:07They'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 brave
39:21Is part of you want to be like, alright let's just put the sign away
39:24And maybe just go home and have dinner
39:26No, no, not at all
39:26We oppose the other side and that is the whole message
39:29And we think it's wrong
39:30That the government has prescribed his terrorist laws incorrectly
39:34One, two, three, up
39:37I don't know how this can 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, the government is about to introduce yet another controversial restriction on protest
40:09After a protest by supporters of Palestine action, Home Secretary gave police new powers to allow them to consider the
40:17cumulative impact of repeated protests
40:19Having already taken the step of banning a direct action protest group, the UK government is now controversially starting to
40:27clamp down on repeated street protests too
40:30We're told discontent is growing among the civil service
40:35And a senior civil servant in the Home Office has got in touch
40:39They've asked to remain anonymous, so their words are spoken by an actor
40:43So, what's your role at the Home Office?
40:46Um, so I'm a senior civil servant in the Home Office
40:50I 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
41:02Including 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
41:16What sorts of things are they saying?
41:19They 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?
41:32That just seems to be part of the same attempt to curtail the right to freedom of speech
41:39So, 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
41:55about Palestine action for years
41:58So, 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
42:13We've also found internal emails detailing other meetings with Elbit UK
42:20This one is from 2023
42:23It says here, reassure Elbit Systems UK and the wider sector affected by Palestine action that the government cares about
42:30the harm the group are causing the private sector
42:35Lobbying isn't illegal
42:37And in fact, restrictions on Palestine action and restrictions on repeat protests were recommended in one report
42:44By the government's former advisor on political violence, Lord Walney
42:49He says he supports the right to protest
42:52So I want to find out why he recommended these policies
43:00When you looked at the example of Palestine action, they had been running a criminal sabotage campaign for a number
43:09of years
43:10I think most people look at that and think, that is madness
43:13Why are we allowing this organisation to exist?
43:17Where do you draw the line? Because 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
43:31But your report also does mention, you know, regular pro-Palestine marches as well
43:36As potentially being criminal
43:38What the consequence of these weekly Gaza marches with this extremism within the margins of them
43:46Has been to make city centres feel like a highly intimidating place for many Jewish people
43:56There's a host of ways in this modern democracy in which we work, that you can get your point across
44:02It does not have to be, like, every Saturday, you're taking over the town centre with this kind of atmosphere
44:09Which does feel highly intimidating to many people
44:12The organisers of the protest themselves may say that it does deserve a weekly protest
44:18Considering that, you know, it is one of the largest slaughters of civilians happening in the world today
44:25And in your report you also recommend that the organisers of such protests
44:30Should be potentially held liable for the damages those protests cause
44:35I mean, doesn't that, in a way, affect our freedom of expression and freedom to protest generally?
44:40The right to protest is not, as in all our rights in the UK, really
44:45It is not an unqualified right in that it is there without any due regard to other people's rights
44:53And it does seem like the specific focus of yours has been the pro-Palestine marches
44:58Well, those are the marches that are happening
45:01What's your response to critics of yours who have pointed to the fact that you, you know, have had paid
45:08positions for the defence lobby as well
45:11And how that might affect your ability to be an independent adviser on these protests
45:15Well, I have looked at this issue systematically and independently
45:21And produced a very long and, I think, well-evidenced report
45:27And what about critics who pointed to the fact that you previously were a chair for Labour Friends of Israel
45:33And how that may affect your ability to independently advise on these protests?
45:39The UK is a friend of Israel
45:44Is being a friend of Israel the right position to have given the mass slaughter of civilians that has been
45:50going on in Gaza?
45:54Well, what you say on that is highly contested
46:01Which part?
46:02Obviously, Israel does not
46:05And I don't think the UK government accepts your characterisation of the conflict
46:12And I was brought in by the government to look specifically at our protest laws
46:19And I've tried to do that in a dispassionate way
46:28Five months on from the banning of Palestine action
46:31The High Court is about to consider whether that decision was lawful and proportionate
46:35This will determine the fate of the thousands who have been arrested in connection with the ban
46:41Defining the boundary between protest and terrorism
46:48But before they announce their decision
46:51A jury delivers its verdict in the trial of my friend Elie Cameo
46:57By the time I get to court, a large crowd has arrived to mark the end of the most serious
47:02Palestine action-related court case yet
47:04On the charge of aggravated burglary, all six defendants were found not guilty
47:16Elie Cameo is found not guilty of one charge
47:20Three of the activists are found not guilty of violent disorder
47:23But on all remaining charges, including the charge of violent disorder against Elie, the jury failed to reach a verdict
47:31The jury failed to convict my daughter Elie and the other five who took courageous action to stop a genocide
47:38The past 18 months have been harrowing and I now need to take her home to heal and rebuild our
47:44lives
47:45She has lost everything, her home in London and her livelihood, but not her dignity
47:52For now, a group of Elie's peers have not been able to agree whether her direct action protest was criminal
47:59Following the verdict, the judge has granted Elie and four of her co-defendants bail
48:09Palestine action supporters see it as a victory
48:12But the verdict has sparked nationwide controversy, with politicians, Jewish groups, and leading police organisations all voicing concern
48:21And now, the CPS is seeking a retrial
48:27Hello, I'm in a car, I'm not handcuffed
48:37After a year and a half in prison, this is the first interview with Elie Cameo
48:44How do you feel?
48:45Uh, really overwhelmed
48:46Is this really surreal that I'm here interviewing you?
48:49Yeah, sorry, am I being too weird?
48:50No, no, it's surreal for me too
48:53What's the one thing you're looking forward to doing now?
48:57Being treated like a human being
49:00Like, you don't get that in prison
49:03Like, were you expecting that you'd get this level of attention, that this would turn into this big of a
49:09story
49:09And that, you know, powers in action would be designated as terrorists by the government?
49:15No
49:16Yeah, no, definitely not
49:17It wasn't like I was naive, but it was like, like, there was like 400 other actions before ours
49:24And to my knowledge, everything had been fine
49:27But I also feel, like, it was inevitably going to happen because it was building up
49:36Like, the government doesn't like Palestine action because it's embarrassing
49:39It's embarrassing for so many people to get acquitted time and time again
49:42So, there's been a lot of press about Palestine action since you've been inside
49:48And some have pointed to the fact that, like, members of Palestine action have said things in support of October
49:547th
49:54Or hinted that there's this idea that the Palestine action is funded by Iran
49:59Or that it creates a climate of fear for Jewish people
50:02What do you make about all those allegations?
50:07Obviously, it's not true
50:09Like, the reason why I did this was because I opposed, like, killing innocent lives
50:16Including, like, what happened on October 7th?
50:18Yes, of course
50:19Palestine action was just about normal people
50:22Who don't agree that a company like Elbit should be making these horrific weapons and drones
50:30We tried marching, we tried talking to our MPs, nobody did anything
50:33So we were like, right, well, we'll just have to go and smash up these weapons ourselves then
50:38That's why I did it, because I had no other option
50:40And that's why everybody should care about this
50:43It's not just about Palestine action and it being prescribed
50:45It's about people having the right to protest
50:50Under UK law today, damaging property to advance a political cause is enough for governments to place activists in the
50:58same legal category as mass casualty bombers
51:02But that doesn't mean they have to
51:05Were they reaching for the bluntest tool to contain dissent?
51:08And in doing so, have they deepened divisions rather than resolve them?
51:13For some, the question is whether Palestine action are terrorists
51:17But for others, it's whether our terrorism laws are too broad
51:22Especially given their impact on free speech
52:07Their
52:19Transcription by CastingWords
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