Liverpool Trades Union Council Statement – Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation
JVL Introduction
A strong statement of protest by Liverpool Trades Council adopted on 17 July. It was then also adopted by the Merseyside Association of TUCs on 19 July.
RK
This article was originally published by Labour Net on Mon 21 Jul 2025. Read the original here.
Liverpool Trades Union Council Statement – Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation
Liverpool Trades Union Council
19/07/25
| The statement was adopted by Liverpool TUC on 17 July. It was then also adopted by the Merseyside Association of TUCs on 19 July.
Liverpool Trades Union Council condemns the decision to proscribe Palestine Action under Schedule 2 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and to define Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation similar to ISIL and Al Qaeda. Terrorism involves actions designed to maim, kill or harm individuals or whole families. These would include:
This clearly describes the actions of the Israeli Defence Force Direct action which does not target individuals, but the weapons used to carry out terrorist acts is not terrorism. On the same day as MPs voted to proscribe non-violent direct action group Palestine Action female MPs posed for a picture wearing suffragette stye sashes. Suffragettes in Great Britain and Ireland orchestrated a bombing and arson campaign between the years 1912 and 1914. This saw the use of improvised explosive devices, arson, letter bombs, assassination attempts and other forms of direct action and violence. Palestine Action stated that their activities were based on non-violent direct action. They never use explosive devices, letter bombs or attempted assassinations. We condemn the hypocrisy of those MPs. We condemn the government for continuing to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets. Instead of taking the necessary steps, legally obligatory under the Genocide Convention, to prevent Israel continuing its genocide the UK government has decided to attack those who are exposing its complicity. We condemn the actions by the government to associate Palestine Action with two white supremacist, neo-Nazi organisations. This was a disgraceful attempt to get the vote through parliament. Successive UK governments, both Tory and Labour, have over more than twenty years passed legislation to undermine our civil liberties to protest injustice and, where involved, government policies. We welcome TUCs such as Manchester and Glasgow voicing their opposition to the proscription of Palestine Action and urge all TUCs to do the same. We call on the trade union movement in general to defend our civil liberties and right to protest. We call for the deproscription of Palestine ActionWe will not be silenced!Free Palestine! |
At the end of the Palestine Action case on Monday, Judge Chamberlain said he’d give his verdict 30 July on allowing a full judicial review of the group’s proscription. Not long to wait…
Assuming the judge does approve the review, then it couldn’t happen immediately. That said, if the judge’s remarks 30 July – about the government’s actions in proscribing Palestine Action and police forces’ actions in repressing pro-Palestinian protests – are sufficiently hard-hitting then perhaps the Crown Prosecution Service will recommend against anyone being arrested until the legal status of Palestine Action is sorted out?
I believe the irony is escaping the women MPs that posed as suffragettes. Otherwise, how could they possibly voted the way the voted?
In any case the suffragettes were mostly white English, Scottish and Welsh women, while the Palestinians are dark Arabs that following Israel’s propaganda are seeing as sub-human.
This is a clear example of how racist the British State truly is.
This makes me so happy, after the silence of so many trade unions. Now for the national TUC to pull its finger out and camp in Starmer’s office till he DOES something.
It seems this PM and Labour Government Don’t understand the meaning of Genocide They should try and read the Genocide Convention and go to Article 3 Were it will give them the Definition of Genocide and also the Definition of Participating in Genocide And then look what the punishment is for Genocide. And the reason it was created in December 1948 and came into force in January 1951.Our Country and a lot of other Countries are signed up to the Genocide Convention But the way they behave you wouldn’t think so With the Home Secretary including Peaceful Protests in support of the Palestinian People and damage to a factory who were manufacturing items to be used in Genocide Which the protesters forced it to shut down Who knows it could have saved many lives in Gaza But because the protesters sprayed some red paint over the factory and also on a plane that the government said the millions of pounds of damage they done Would prevent it flying .Well it seems it was flying later that day And if I’m not mistaken that red paint comes off fairly easy So its hard to say were the millions of pounds worth of damage was .Unless they were investing into some new security at the air base they rode in on Bikes and rode out again without being seen Then I would think that security would need improving .Some say they broke in: To break in you have to damage something .They didn’t they just rode in and out after spraying the paint. So how the home secretary can proscribe it as part of the Terrorism act seems well over the top .At the most it’s Criminal damage nothing else .But the way they classed it with 2 real terrorist groups it meant on the vote MPs were not given much choice. (cut to c 300 words Ed)
Free Palestine!
Everything you write is true. Keep up the fight.
Clearly the Liverpool TUC has not read the Terrorism Act 2000. The law is the law. Regardless of their moral right, Palestine Action, unlike other pro-Palestinian groups is not a peaceful organisation, attacking property and military infrastructure in order to force the government to change policy. The 2000 Terrorism Act is quite clear in this regard. Proscription is only used when peaceful protest not only moves into the area of direct action, but beyond into the type of attacks as committed by PA to force policy change. Moral right does not give a group or individuals carte blanche in respect of actions. There are many examples of terrorist groups both in the UK and globally not causing physical injury but using other means to further a particular ideology. The problem in respect of PA is the heavy handed, narrow interpretation of proscription by the police, which has played into the hands of PA who now in the eyes of the general public come over as a peaceful organisation of placard carrying pensioners and retired vicars. If only this were the case. The government had no option but to proscribe. They are not silencing legitimate protest or free speech, merely setting the red line beyond direct action. If in doubt read the Terrorism Act 2000. PA is performing a clever game here but sadly to the detriment of other legitimate groups such as the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign. I realise I may sound like a lone voice in this particular echo chamber but one thing we may have in common, is the belief in a free Palestinian state.
Labour is a reactionary party, they are opposed to working class action. Trying to threaten health workers. Waspi women. Bin workers. Benefit cuts, threatening peaceful protesters.
Robert Andrew:
>”There are many examples of terrorist groups both in the UK and globally not causing physical injury but using other means to further a particular ideology.”
Please list some examples. Note that all political parties and pressure groups aim to further particular ideologies. Even the Tories (Burkeism-Oakeshottism-Thatcherism, all extremely vile) and Labour (social democracy built on an economic infrastructure of and dominated by the intrinsically unfair, antiegalitarian and antidemocratic markets of capitalism) do so.
Robert Andrew
“The problem in respect of PA is the heavy handed, narrow interpretation of proscription by the police, which has played into the hands of PA who now in the eyes of the general public come over as a peaceful organisation of placard carrying pensioners and retired vicars.”
Confession: I’ve not read the Terrorism Act 2000 as I’ve had no reason to, but your portrayal of how the public sees PA is more than faintly ridiculous. Women voters will probably be relieved you were not around at the time of the Suffragettes.