I write to you as a concerned constituent deeply alarmed by the proposed proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act, a move I believe constitutes a shocking overreach and undermines democratic freedoms.
Exhaustive legal assessments, including those by over 600 UK lawyers, senior jurists, and former Supreme Court judges, have concluded that genocide is taking place in Gaza and that the UK is breaching international law by continuing to supply arms .
Legal letters note the UK has a duty under the Genocide Convention to cease acts that risk facilitating genocide, including the export of arms .
The UK government continues to license military exports, including components for F‑35 and F‑16 jets used in Gaza. This is part of systemic failures in Britain’s export control system, repeatedly flagged by civil service whistleblowers and human rights organisations as allowing arms that facilitate war crimes .
In April 2024, over 600 lawyers, including judges, KCs and Lady Hale, urged that continuing arms sales would make the UK legally complicit .
Millions from across the UK , including from the Jewish community have marched in London over the past 20 months demanding a ceasefire and an end to UK arms sales .
From the civil rights movement to suffrage, Vietnam, and apartheid South Africa, non‑violent direct action has been employed to either stop government led violations or complicity.
Palestine Action engages in peaceful, targeted direct actions designed to highlight the UK’s role in facilitating violence in Gaza and ignoring the will of the UK public. Their aim is to draw scrutiny to UK weapons transfers, not to endanger life. Political leader Keir Starmer himself supported similar protest in 2003.
Using national security powers to proscribe a non‑violent protest group is not only disproportionate, it is an affront to civil liberties. It risks stigmatising and criminalising legitimate dissent, a draconian tactic the government should not replicate.
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I therefore urge you to:
1. Oppose the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act.
2. Support immediate suspension of arms exports to Israel in line with international legal obligations.
3. Back a parliamentary debate on the legality of current UK arms policy and the protection of peaceful dissent.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
