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The Metropolitan police has said it will resume arresting people who show support for Palestine Action just weeks after it said it would no longer do so following a high court ruling that the ban on the direct action group was unlawful.
After last month’s judgment, the Met police said it would immediately stop arresting people for such offences under the Terrorism Act but would gather evidence for potential future prosecutions.
But on Wednesday it said it had “revised” its enforcement approach, describing the statement made immediately after the high court’s decision as an “interim position”.
Deputy assistant commissioner James Harman said: “While the high court has found the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful, it has confirmed the impact of that judgment will not take effect until the government’s appeal has been considered which could take many months.
“That means it is still a criminal offence to support Palestine Action.
“We must enforce the law as it is at the time, not as it might be at a future date. We must do that consistently and without fear or favour.”
The home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s appeal against the high court’s decision is due to be heard at the court of appeal on 28 and 29 April, and the ban will remain in place in the meantime.
Harman said that the Met was forced to take an immediate view after the ruling because protesters outside the court were engaged in displays of support for Palestine Action and it was not known whether Mahmood would be granted permission to appeal nor – if it was granted – whether proscription would be lifted pending the appeal.
“Having now considered our position in light of that decision, taking into account all the circumstances, we have determined that while Palestine Action remains proscribed and support for it remains unlawful under the Terrorism Act, we must continue to enforce the law and this is likely to involve the arrest of those committing offences,” said Harman.
Defend Our Juries (DOJ), which organised protests at which many of the more than 2,500 people arrested for alleged support of Palestine Action were detained, had written to the Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, last week after the group said a woman was arrested in London on 15 March for holding a sign saying: “I still oppose genocide. I still support Palestine Action.” DOJ previously said it was planning a mass vigil on 11 April.
Also on Wednesday, Palestine Action-affiliated protesters who went on hunger strike while in prison awaiting trial said they are consulting lawyers about taking legal action against the prison authorities for alleged medical negligence while they were refusing food.
At a press conference in London, Heba Muraisi, who was on hunger strike for 73 days, the longest of any of the protesters, said she was not given electrolytes and only received vitamins after 30 days. Qesser Zuhrah, who was on hunger strike for 48 days, said she did not get electrolytes until 20 days into her protest and they were withdrawn after she collapsed on day 42.
Kamran Ahmed, who was on hunger strike for 66 days, said he still suffered from chest pains and shortness of breath as a result of the protest, while others said they were suffering from neurological issues. “The main takeaway is that all of us are suffering with trauma from the hunger strike,” he said. “Everyone who went through the hunger strike was dehumanised, there was medical negligence that took place.”
Responding to the allegations of medical negligence, a government spokesperson said: “All individuals were managed in line with longstanding policy while in prison.
“This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by healthcare teams, prisoners were taken to hospital.”
