UK Detains 83-Year-Old Priest for Violating Ban on Palestine Action

(MENAFN) An 83-year-old retired priest was detained early Saturday for violating a newly enforced ban on the Palestine Action activist group, sparking widespread outrage and raising concerns about freedom of expression in the UK.

Reverend Sue Parfitt, from Bristol, was apprehended in the early hours after holding a sign that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Parfitt was one of at least 27 people arrested nationwide, all of whom defied the Home Office’s decision to label the group as a terrorist organization.

This ban, which came into effect just after midnight, makes any association with Palestine Action, including membership or support, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The move follows the group's admission of responsibility for vandalizing two Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.

For the first time in British history, a non-violent protest group—Palestine Action—is being reclassified as a terror organization. This decision comes after a failed attempt to halt the ban through a high court challenge on Friday, citing anti-terrorism laws.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed late Saturday that they were responding to a demonstration in Parliament Square, where multiple arrests were made.

"The group is now proscribed, and expressing support for them is a criminal offense," the police said in a statement. "Arrests are being made."

More than 20 individuals have been taken into custody under suspicion of violating the Terrorism Act 2000.

The move has faced strong opposition from international and domestic figures, with UN experts, civil liberties groups, cultural leaders, and hundreds of lawyers decrying the ban as "draconian." They warn that it dangerously blurs the line between protest and terrorism.

In response, Palestine Action announced it would seek an "urgent appeal to prevent a dystopian nightmare, which criminalizes thousands of people overnight."

A critical court hearing is scheduled for July 21, when the group will apply for judicial review, aiming to overturn the ban.

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