Veteran peace activist arrested after decision to ban Palestine Action is backed by Court of Appeal
Martin Shipton
Veteran Mid Wales peace and human rights campaigner Angie Zelter was among 117 pro-Palestine activists arrested on the steps of London’s Royal Courts of Justice for holding a sign saying: “Saving Lives is not Terrorism. I Support Palestine Action.”
She was later charged under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act.
Ms Zelter was the first person detained during a demonstration against the Court of Appeal decision to endorse former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the Palestine Action group as a terrorist organisation.
Previously the High Court had ruled that Palestine Action, best known for taking direct action against the Israeli company Elbit Systems, whose drones have been used against Palestinian targets in Gaza, was not a terrorist group and should not be in the same category as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
The protest was organised as part of an ongoing campaign against the UK Government’s controversial use of counter-terrorism laws against peaceful demonstrators. Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 makes it an offence to display an article or sign that arouses reasonable suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation. It carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and/or a fine upon conviction.
Angie Zelter, a well-known resident of Knucklas, Powys, is a globally recognized figure in non-violent direct action. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, she founded groups like Trident Ploughshares, and has spent decades advocating for international law and human rights.
After her release from custody she said: “I think it’s a terrible indictment of the criminal justice system that you are charging me with terrorism for holding a peaceful sign. We have to uphold the most important international laws. Peaceful, disruptive protest is absolutely essential to protect democracy.”
Ms Zelter, who lives in Knucklas, Powys, has been arrested more than 100 times worldwide for her involvement in peace and environmental justice campaigns.
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What a shocking inditement of our legal system. Its one thing jailing people for damaging property, but peaceful protesters too? Clearly can’t upset Israeli government who continue to rampage and kill civilians in neighbouring States against all international rules
Maybe she could go to Gaza and protest against Hamas, or Afghanistan against the Taliban? Very very easy to sit on a UK pavement while also being protected by intimidating masked people (which also adds a nice fascist tone).
Considering the barbaric treatment of the flotilla heroes by the evil zionist regime and their IDF goons, that is a fascist suggestion.
Like the chap (Thiago Avila) who went into the press conference with his hands behind his back to make it look like he had been handcuffed by Israel when he hadn’t been? Hilarious. Nothing wrong with zionism BTW.
Nothing good about zionism when it aims to eliminate entire semitic Palestinian populations.
Tell us more about your perverse, sadistic desires to inflict harm on women by putting them directly in danger….
Utterly disgusting decision by the Court of Appeal, which will hopefully now be taken to the Supreme Court and if necessary to the European Court of Human Rights. This awful, dangerous 2000 law was brought in as a knee-jerk reaction by New Labour’s then Home Secretary Jack Straw, and at the time was widely criticised due to the lack of safeguards attached to it, allowing any Home Secretary at whim to deem any organiation of their choosing as ‘terrorist’. No Parliamentary checks and balances whatsoever. When the law was passed it didn’t escape Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg that they could,… Read more »
Read what the judge said about PAG. This is not an organisation spray painting some road signs or throwing them into the sea off Aberystwyth beach.
The judge used suffragette movement as a better example with a complete ignore they did worse.
Spot the bloke. Sufragettes didn’t carry around little red symbols that represent an organisation that wants to eradicate a whole country and a race of people. Quite simple.
This is the point, all the away up there, way above the one you are trying to make as you miss it.
Beats what the entire world is saying about the evil zionist regime and their idf goons. Considering how much destruction they have brought to the world economy with their illegaland catastrophic war on Lebanonand Iran, I would expect them to find a cave and disappear down there for eternity.
Unlike every other country in the region, Israel is a multicultural, democracy where men and women of all races are treated equally. No need to enter a cave.
This the country that murders women and children as well as men? Yeah, right equal that.
The changes in Nation‑State Law, the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, land and planning regimes restrict Arab family reunification, limit access for arabs to land and infrastructure, and justify selective policing and speech restrictions on the Arabic language and identity. What equality is that? That is blatant racism.
When you have Keir Starmer and the UK Labour government, who in the recent past have wined and dined Israeli President Isaac Herzog in London whose cabinet are responsible for the deaths of over 74,000+ innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza while also using public funds to appeal a court decision in order to criminalise those who peacefully support Palestine Action, a group who are trying to stop genocide, is vulgar in the extreme.
This is all down to Starmer and UK gov.
20 years ago I expected better from Welsh Nationalism than siding with the West’s enemies. I’m not angry. Do as you wish with this country. I feel chagrin and pity.
You should probably avoid walking into traffic with those blinkers restricting your view
I for one feel so much safer with these nice old grannies off the streets. It may cost the taxpayer a fortune, but its worth every penny.
These dangers to society need arresting before they….um…. make us a nice cup of tea, or even force a mint humbug into our mouths while wiping our face with a saliva soaked tissue.
How ironic that our “human rights lawyer” prime minister has effectively criminalised our democratic right to protest. Holding a sign is “terrorism” but systemically murdering civilians – including children and infants – appears to be perfectly acceptable.