Artists rally to block Palestine Action ban
JVL Introduction
At Glastonbury festival this weekend, artist after artist demonstrated against the Gaza genocide and many showed support for Palestine Action in the face of government moves to ban them. Away from the festival site, an impressive list of writers, editors and publishers posted the statement we link to below, calling on “Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to immediately halt their unprecedented plans to proscribe the non-violent direct action group, Palestine Action.”
Singer Nadine Shah performed on Sunday morning against a backdrop satirising Starmer’s complicity in the Gaza genocide (see our image above). She read out an open letter from Artists for Palestine UK, reported in the Standard and other media, calling on the government to drop its authoritarian move: “Labeling nonviolent direct action as terrorism is an abuse of language and an attack on democracy,” Shah said. Read the full statement, with list of signatories, here.
The BBC refused to stream Saturday’s set by Irish rappers Kneecap whose performance continued their courageous tradition of celebrating Palestinian resistance. But switching over to a different stage, the BBC inadvertently amplified the message of punk artist Bob Vylan who led his audience chanting “Free free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF.” Vylan was instantly attacked as a promoter of terror, including in a probably libellous headline in the Daily Mail, opening up a discussion about whether it is more reprehensible to wish for the demise of a genocidal army or to actively support it.
This discussion is extremely urgent and has to be answered with determined opposition to the deployment of draconian terror laws to crush pro-Palestinian and other protest movements.
NWI
This article was originally published by Fossil Free Books on Sat 28 Jun 2025. Read the original here.
Author statement in defence of freedom of speech
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Brilliant ✊🏼
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The irony: “Israel” commits murder of innocent civilians every day, in Gazza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. It invades sovereign territories, tortures, maims and imprisons innocent people in brutal conditions, and UK politicians say nothing. Three lads from Belfast on a stage at a music festival and a black artist leads a chant live on the BBC. Meanwhile, the establishment and its stooge, Kier Starmer, impose draconian, authoritarian, censorship and imprisonment for those who are expressing, in the British tradition, the right to protest. Palestine Action haven’t harmed or killed anyone, but red paint on an aeroplane and lobbying from the Zionists, makes them “Terrorists”. Those above are doing what we all must do. Unite and fight to stop Starmer`s march to authoritarianism and effective dictatorship. Freedom is fought for and defended, not sacrificed on the pretext of “security”.
It’s a funny old world. Words at Glastonbury can trigger such righteous condemnation from the our leaders, whereas the murder of 60,000+ Palestinians is somehow unable to move the same people, in fact their help and support is sent Israel’s way. Tell me, Daddy, why is this?
I am a writer and would like to add my name.
#SolidarityWithPalestine ..
What on earth does Margaret Spector think Jeremiah brings to the table ? Last time people backed him, he crumbled as soon as the smears started, and after getting dragged through it and then dumped, he hung around the very same party that was responsible for it.