Need for vigil continues

The Salisbury vigil is needed more than ever as UK continues its support for Israel

June 2026

Imagine. If during the ‘Troubles,’ that is the campaign by the IRA in Northern Ireland and on the UK mainland, UK forces had issued a 24 hour warning to the towns and villages in the Irish Republic within 10 miles of the border, ordering them to evacuate their homes, and had then bombed them flattening a large number of buildings killing those living inside, followed by bulldozers and other equipment crossing the border to demolish entire villages. Had uprooted orchards and destroyed other agricultural assets included acres of glasshouses, and had used white phosphorous bombs to contaminate the land for a generation. Imagine the government claimed it had the right to do this because it knew or suspected that the villages were shielding IRA operatives and that the IRA were using women and children as ‘human shields’. Imagine it also bombed and destroyed medical facilities, water treatment plants and other infrastructure. Army units then seized medical and other staff, subjecting them to months of serious ill-treatment and torture denying them access to lawyers or even saying where they were held, many of whom would die in custody. Imagine if the UK had behaved that way.

The world would have erupted. The international outcry would have been enormous. The US would have made life extremely difficult for the UK and imposed financial sanctions sufficient for the country to face collapse as it did with the Suez escapade. UN resolutions would pile in. The UK would have become an international pariah. UK news media – even the BBC – would have fulminated against the atrocity being committed. Parliament would have been in uproar. It is indeed unimaginable.

Slide show

“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah”. President Trump at the G7 meeting

Despite the bombings both here and in Northern Ireland and the thousands killed, peace was eventually achieved in the Good Friday Agreement and although not perfect, a degree of normality has been achieved in the Principality. We cannot of course make exact comparisons so different are the circumstances – although both conflicts have their roots in British imperialism and colonial conquest – but looking at the scale of destruction with nearly 76.000 dead in Gaza and over 4,000 dead in Lebanon, who can see an end to this? Unlike what would have happened in Ireland, the US continues to arm and finance Israel. UN resolutions are ignored. The UK happily supplies arms, support and intelligence to Israel including two warships off the coast. Many of our news media have turned a blind eye or given highly sanitised versions of the atrocities. The only problem for Israel is that it has lost the moral high ground and the sympathy it received after the October 7th massacre has evaporated.

Government’s responses are feeble and a ‘gimmick’

The government has failed to take resolute action. It claims to have stopped arms sales while continuing to issue licences to arms firms. A recent example of their limp responses is Yvette Cooper’s recent statement in the House of Commons that the government had referred the ‘Great Israeli Real Estate Event‘ to the Advertising Standards Agency, Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s Crisis Response Manager, said:

“Referring an event that enables war crimes and crimes against humanity to the Advertising Standards Agency is a ridiculous gimmick that fails to understand the devastation Israeli settlements cause for Palestinians.

“Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UK government has said so itself. The International Court of Justice has called on all states, including the UK, not to provide support or assistance that would help sustain Israel’s continued illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The UK’s failure to prevent this event from going ahead directly undermines its own position, the rights of Palestinians, and international law.

“Yvette Cooper was warned this event was coming and did nothing to stop it. That is not leadership – that is burying your head in the sand and hoping the problem goes away whilst illegal occupation, annexation, and apartheid continue at pace.

“If the government is serious about its opposition to settlements, it can start with a full ban on trade with Israeli settlements, ensure UK authorities properly investigate the organisers of the Great Israeli Real Estate Event, and ensure an event that enables war crimes and crimes against humanity is never allowed to take part on British soil again.”

The Jewish News denies that West Bank land is being marketed. They say the allegations are “motivated by anti-Israeli and terrorist supporters”.

NO sign of the Salisbury MP Mr John Glen at this or any of the previous 131 vigils. He is a ‘proud member’ of the Conservative Friends of Israel group which is thought to be the best funded of all the parliamentary lobby organisations and which has been able to subdue criticism of their country’s activities in parlaiment.

Our vigils will continue the next is on Saturday 27th at 5pm in the Cheese Market (by the Library).

June 21, 2026 0

Foreign Office to close monitoring unit

Office desk with multiple labeled stacks of documents, computer monitors, and office chair near window showing cityscape

Unit responsible for collecting information on conflict incidents is to close

April 2026

The news is variously described as ‘unbelievable’ or ‘incredible’ but is reported to be true: the Labour government is to close the Conflict and Security Monitoring Unit which collects, verifies and analyses human rights incidents in Israel and in the occupied territories. It hardly needs saying that the necessity for such a unit is essential at the present time with significant human rights violations taking place in Gaza, the West Bank and now in south Lebanon.

But it is to close. One of the Unit’s functions was to advise on the supply of arms to Israel so one wonders where that advice is to come from in future. The decision is reported to have been taken by Sir Oliver Robbins who was sacked by the prime minister last week over the Peter Mandelson affair.

Only on 9th of this month, the Foreign Secretary was delivering a speech in the Mansion House extolling her and her government’s belief in the rule of law and human rights. Part of her speech is:

“But for a Labour government it is a fundamental part of our moral purpose to stand up against global disease and hunger, and help those trapped in crises caused by conflict or climate breakdown. We know that supporting development is not just about our party’s values but about our national interests: tackling insecurity and building partnerships abroad helps our security and economy back home.

“The role that rules-based frameworks play is vital, and respect for the rule of law is a core British value that supports our national interest, underpins our economic stability, makes us a reliable place for international investment, while the whole world spins around us and underpins our security and prosperity.” (our italics)

Pious words. Yvette Copper is another MP who is a member of Labour Friends of Israel.

It is vital that the FCDO has accurate information both for any future war crimes and to advise on the sale of arms to the IDF. The decision has been criticised by Human Rights Watch and by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade. Katie Fallon, the advocacy manager at CAAT said:

“Closing the IHL cell would protect ministers and senior Foreign Office officials “who know that they have been manipulating the data on potential violations of International Human Rights Law, beyond any logical interpretation, to obscure unimaginable violations and crimes committed against the most vulnerable people in conflict and sustain arms sales at any cost.

“The timing of this closure is notable. As Olly Robbins explained to a parliamentary committee this week, the civil service is under pressure to give the government the answers that they want. Nowhere is this more clear than on ensuring arms sales to ‘allies’ continue, despite the risks of war crimes.”

Sources: Guardian, Middle East Eye, Human Rights Watch, FCDO, Wales Herald

April 24, 2026 0

The Chilling Impact of UK Policing on Civil Liberties

Update on current issues in the UK

September 2025

Much of our coverage of human rights issues on this site features overseas countries and indeed there is a lot to write about. The latest edition of the Amnesty magazine (Autumn 2025, Issue 226) has a feature on the rise and arguably increasing number of authoritarian leaders for whom human rights are things to be suppressed by all means possible. The list includes Javier Milei of Argentina; Narendra Modi with his draconian anti-terrorism law used to target activists, journalists, students, protesters and others.

Vladimir Putin needs no introduction nor does Xi Jinping who enacts repressive laws, persecutes Uyghurs and the repression of Tibetan culture continue unabated. Others include Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi who is busy wooing anyone who’ll listen while engaged in suppression of any dissent and who has executed record numbers in 2024. Victor Orban who has increasingly targeted civil society while remaining a member of the EU. Netanyahu in Israel is well known and presiding over genocide in Gaza and intensifying violence and apartheid in the West Bank. He bans foreign journalists and the UN from entering Gaza.

‘Chilling effect’

But there are worries in the UK with more and more laws being passed to inhibit protests and empower the police to arrest or interdict such protests and those attending them. Palestine Action has been much in the news and the organisation was declared a terrorist group by the previous Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper. A high court judge has ruled that the co-founder of PA can bring an unprecedented legal challenge to the Home Secretary’s decision. Mr Justice Chamberlain said the proscription order against the group risked ‘considerable harm to the public interest’ because of the ‘chilling effect’ on legitimate political speech.

At the recent rally on 6th September in London organised by Defend our Juries, police arrested nearly 900 people many of whom were carrying Palestine Action placards. A 3 day hearing starts in November and it will be the first time an appeal is allowed against a ‘terrorist’ organisation. The court has given permission for both Amnesty and Liberty to intervene in the hearing.

Human Rights Watch: World Report

HRW’s World Report amplifies the above comments in its section on the UK. Laws criminalising protest undermine democratic rights they note. They remain on the statute book and the Labour government shows no sign of repealing them. The 2023 Public Order Act, the 2020 Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act also remain on the statute book both of which increased police powers and act to limit free speech.

There are comments about the increasing disparity in wealth in the UK. On immigration and asylum it notes the failure to provide safe routes and how politicians and some media outlets have contributed to a hostile environment towards ethnic and racial minorities.

Policing

Since 2002, the police have had an increasing presence in schools under the Safer Schools Partnership programme. Liberty has found no evidence that this police presence has made them safer and that there is no reliable evidence that such presence reduces crime or violence. One problem is that police are mandated to report crime in schools even it may be inappropriate in the circumstances. Lack of funding for mental health leads police to step into roles unrelated to policing it notes One of their recommendations is that police a more supportive roles in PSHE activities. See the report for more details.

It cannot be argued that the UK is anywhere near the situation in some of the countries briefly mentioned above. Journalists are not murdered as in Russia, opposition politicians are not imprisoned for no reason which happens in Saudi, there are no second class citizens as in Israel. However, the slow drip of legislation and increasing police powers, widening use of facial recognition even in peaceful protests, a legal system largely the preserve of the very rich and elements of our media all too happy to laud clampdowns and arrests of those they don’t like are matters of increasing concern. We shall continue to highlight these issues in our posts.

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September 12, 2025 0

Ban on Palestine Action confirmed

Group loses its case in the High Court and is now proscribed

July 2025

As of today (July 5th) Palestine Action is now a proscribed terrorist organisation. This decision has been widely condemned and is seen as an abuse of legislation introduced to stop far more deadly organisations. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, lumped into the order, two other organisations: Maniacs Murder Cult and Russian Imperial Movement, to give MPs little choice but to approve it which they did 385 votes to 26. PA now joins al-Qaeda and ISIS on the list. Local MP, Danny Kruger (E Wilts) voted for the ban.

There is no doubt that PA caused damage to the various establishments they raided. Although Cooper and others spoke of violence, no evidence of violence has been produced. This action is of a piece with legislation introduced by the previous government to limit and make protests and demonstrations a lot more difficult. Well, not quite, because it may be noticed that the farmers have been taking their tractors into London and elsewhere and blocked streets and stopped traffic. There is no record of any police action against them nor any arrests having been made.

Many have made the point that the activities of PA are covered by existing legislation and indeed, some have been arrested and sentenced after earlier actions using laws already on the statute book. When the terrorism law was introduced about a quarter of a century ago the claim was made then that it would only be used for ‘extreme’ crimes. That seems to have been forgotten. Unfortunately, the legislation is overly broad enabling it to be used in cases like this. The problem has been that juries have not been convinced by government lawyers and have not found against the defendants, hence the need to ban them. Taking them to court for spraying RAF jets stood little chance of a successful conviction now that more people know what dubious activities the RAF are up to and the covert help they are offering the Israelis. The suggestions are that they have carried out over 600 flights over Gaza and that they are refuelling Israeli jets in some of their sorties.

What has embarrassed the government is that the group is drawing attention to the government support being offered, not just by the RAF but in allowing Elbit Systems to continue to make the drones in factories here in the UK, as they claim on their website.

People have a right to protest and the list of protest movements who have brought change is a long one. We noted in our last post that the very fact Yvette Cooper is an MP and a minister is as a result of a prolonged period of protest – latterly violent – by the suffragists and the suffragettes. Her action, and the willingness of 385 MPs to vote for the motion is a shameful one.

One MP, Nadia Whittome (Lab) said “Hundreds of lawyers have written to the Home Secretary, warning that proscribing Palestine Action would conflate protest and terrorism. Amnesty International and Liberty have both expressed deep concerns. A senior civil servant has briefed that there is disquiet among Home Office staff about the decision, and has called it “absurd” [HC Deb 2 July c367]. Earlier in the debate she reminded the House of the suffragettes.

While the government was busy proscribing Palestine Action, people were still being killed in the food queues and what is believed to be a massive 500 lb bomb was dropped on the al Baqa café in the north. The bomb killed a large numbers of people many of whom were blown to pieces. Around 56,500 have been killed in Gaza.

Sources: BBC; Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, Amnesty International, They Work for You.

Vigil

Forty people turned out today (5 July) for the weekly vigil in Salisbury.

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July 5, 2025 2

Proscribing Palestine Action

Government’s intention to proscribe Palestine Action regrettable

June 2025

UPDATE: July 3rd. Parliament voted to ban Palestine Action yesterday. They were included in a motion with Maniacs Murder Cult and Russian Imperialist Movement, two extreme organisations. Parliament voted 385 to 26 in favour.

Yvette Cooper is a woman. She has the vote. She is also a Member of Parliament and presently the Home Secretary. That she is able to vote and become an MP is in large part because beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, a number of campaigners fought for female suffrage. They began peacefully, writing pamphlets and holding marches and some became suffragists. It availed them

nothing. Then, at the turn of the century in 1903, frustrated by years of inaction, their campaigning became more violent involving throwing bricks, disrupting public meetings, ruining golf courses, planting bombs and going on hunger strikes. They were termed ‘suffragettes’ a word coined by the Daily Mail as a term of disparagement. After the Great War, they achieved their goal, at least partly and today women have the vote. And a woman like Yvette Cooper can become an MP.

Palestine Action entered the news this week because of their action in Brize Norton. They did not disrupt the actions of the RAF as admitted by the Department of Defence. They did not throw a bomb and no one was injured. They did seriously embarrass the RAF however by showing how feeble their security was. Yet Evette Couper has decided that it is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Great has been the chorus of condemnation. A local MP, Dr. Andrew Murrison said ‘they were a national security threat‘ in a

quote in the Jewish Chronicle. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader said ‘this is not lawful protest but politically motivated criminality‘. Lord Walney (pictured), a former adviser on political violence and extremism, went into overdrive saying it was a ‘grotesque breach of national security … we should not let these criminal activists act like the Ayatollah apparatchiks by attacking the country from within … employees at the workplace they target have been systematically terrorised by Palestine Action for too long.’

At root is the issue of Palestine and Gaza. With 56,000 now dead in Gaza with more deaths daily adding to the total, there are many who object to the continued support being provided by the UK government to Israel. This includes arms supplies, diplomatic cover and – the issue behind the raid on Brize Norton – the activities of the RAF in overflying Gaza. Details of which are scant and which a government minister has claimed it is ‘solely in pursuit of hostage rescue.’ Another issue which has emerged is that the Israeli Embassy has been pressing the government to take action against Palestine Action. Heavily redacted internal government documents released under freedom of information laws have revealed meetings between the government and Israeli embassy officials, apparently to discuss Palestine Action. Ministers have also met representatives from the Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems.

The RAF flights are controversial and there are suggestions that they and the UK government are complicit in Israel’s actions in Gaza. In particular it is alleged the information is used to assist them in torturing Palestinians.

A familiar cry from politicians and some media commentators is that they are happy with peaceful protests but taking action by spraying RAF planes is not acceptable.

The Home Secretary’s response and proposal to proscribe the organisation is seen by many to be extreme. Peaceful protests are almost always ignored. Perhaps Ms Cooper should remember that she owes her exalted status to the violent actions of women a century or so ago. Left to the peaceful protests of the suffragists, she could now be an unknown and certainly not an MP.

June 24, 2025 1