Respectable protest alone does not work, according to the generation that marched in record numbers against the Iraq War. The power elite has repeatedly ignored the popular will, including regarding Palestine. Despite public polls showing a majority of support for an arms embargo on Israel, the government continues to be unmoved and the media does not pay much attention to the hundreds of thousands marching.
Due to the country’s lack of democracy, direct action may not be the only effective strategy to combat Middle Eastern war-mongering. I support Palestine Action, which the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, intends to annex in response to its activists’ vandalization of a Ministry of Defense aircraft, because of Britain’s ongoing military support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
I felt morally compelled to act immediately, too. I was a member of the original London Palestine Action group during the summer of 2014, when Israel bombed Gaza for 51 days, killing more than 2, 200 Palestinians. Production was halted for two days as we occupied the roof of an Elbit Systems drone engine factory. One of my most cherished memories is still being had.
However, our organization disintegrated and lasted forever before resuming operations in 2023. In contrast, the national Palestine Action, which was founded in 2020, has waged a fierce campaign against Elbit Systems, taking much greater personal risks.
Palestine Action has destroyed millions of pounds worth of military equipment in an effort to counteract Suharto’s bombing of East Timor and inspires Smash EDO, the Raytheon Nine, and the 1996 action that decommissioned Hawk jets. They have turned the military-industrial complex’s favor into a serious thorn. Many have been imprisoned, sacrificing their freedom as political prisoners, including young women, queer people, and people of color.
Crucially, Palestine Action has never caused any harm to a person. Their non-violent yet disruptive actions have saved lives. At least 200, 000 people have been killed or killed by Israel’s genocide in Gaza, including tens of thousands of children, in contrast. Any standard would apply to this, which would be considered state terror. Because their government won’t, these brave activists are preventing it.
Palestine Action would have had no target and probably wouldn’t have existed if the British government had never armed Israel or stopped doing so at any point in the previous ten years. Hence, it could be that Israel would not, as I write, engage in genocide in Gaza. However, the Balfour Declaration was the start of colonial arrogance, which has shaped British attitudes toward Palestinians for more than a century.
The direct intervention by Palestine Action exposed the contradictions between Britain’s position and Israel. The Home Secretary’s plan to declare the group a terrorist organization demonstrates the Labour Party’s current authoritarian style and the racialized social control that underpins the “war on terror.”
The UK has taken a page directly from Israel’s playbook by labeling nonviolent resisters as “terrorists.” Israel did the same for the Palestinian rights organization Addameer just this month. Authoritarian states around the world are using this tactic more frequently. It opens the door to fascism, and it poses a threat to further undermine the country’s still-existing democratic freedoms.
However, this tactic is ineffective. A group can be banned, but not a movement or an idea. Gareth Pierce, an acclaimed attorney, has been hired by Palestine Action to challenge the prohibition in court. Direct action will continue as long as Britain continues to support Israel’s genocide, even if the ban is lifted.
However, putting an end to this atrocity on its own cannot be done. From all sides of institutional politics, including institutional politics, it will press Britain under every conceivable pressure. Although it won’t happen overnight, it can happen.
When Palestine is free, history will be forever remembered for both Palestine Action and Keir Starmer as heroic peace activists who fought state terror.
Source: Aljazeera
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