‘Too far’
But Labour’s former spokesperson on legal matters Shami Chakrabarti, speaking ahead of the government’s announcement, said she shared concerns that a ban could be going “too far”.
“From what I can tell, this is a militant protest group that engages in direct action and that includes criminality, no question, but to elevate that to terrorism… is a serious escalation I think,” she told BBC radio.
Palestine Action says it uses “disruption tactics” to target “corporate enablers” and seeks to “make it impossible for these companies to profit from the oppression of Palestinians”.
In recent months, it has sprayed the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalised US President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland.
Last month, Palestine Action claimed responsibility for vandalising a US military aircraft in Ireland.
In London Monday, protesters surged towards police when officers tried to detain someone, while onlookers chanted “let them go”.
“It’s an attack on civil rights,” 45-year-old demonstrator Joe Dawson, who works in advertising, said of the proposed ban.
