A letter organised by the British Palestinian Committee, the largest umbrella organisation of Palestinian groups in this country, has expressed grave concern at Met policing of a pro-Palestine march on Saturday 18 January, which resulted in 77 arrests and charges under the Public Order being brought against organisers.
Palestine march: drop the charges now
The letter to the home secretary Yvette Cooper joins calls for an independent inquiry and the dropping of charges against those arrested. It adds to the demands from civil society organisations such as such as Liberty and Amnesty International UK for the repealing of repressive Public Order legislation.
The letter says the issue has “profound implications for the British Palestinian community and its ongoing struggle for justice”.
Events on Saturday at the national Palestine protest have drawn a wave of criticism from across the political and social spectrum towards the Met Police.
The Met reneged on a previous agreement to allow a march from BBC Portland Place to Whitehall, a route taken several times before. It then sought to impose a route the pro-Israel Board of Deputies publicly claimed that it had proposed to the police.
This was rejected by the Palestine Coalition organising group. Finally, the Met banned any alternative march route allowing only a rally in Whitehall.
On the day there was a massive police presence, with police obstructing the gathering for the rally in many respects. There was an unusually high number of arrests of protestors.
The chief steward who organises the demonstrations for the Palestine Coalition in discussion with police was violently arrested on the day, and with the director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign subsequently charged with offences under the Public Order Act.
Two MPs – Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell – who attended the protest have also been interviewed under caution by the police.
“Politically motivated” policing by the Met
BPC said that the British Palestinian community is disproportionately affected by restrictions on rights to protest, and “the curtailment of these rights, combined with the policing of protests in a manner that appears politically motivated, not only undermines democratic freedoms but also silences voices advocating for justice and human rights”.
Dr Sara Husseini, director of the BPC, said:
The policing crackdown seen on 18th January sits in a wider context of criminalisation and repression of our community and those advocating for Palestinian rights in Britain.
Palestinians in Britain have seen repeated and intensifying attacks on our ability to express ourselves, describe our history and experiences, and advocate for our inalienable rights. This is particularly egregious at a time when we have watched 15 months of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, for which our own government in Britain has provided continual, near unchecked, military, diplomatic and political support.
Featured image via the Canary
