Palestine Action’s banning must be rescinded: UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

London - CAGE International welcomes the call made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the UK government to revoke its proscription of Palestine Action. 

Volker Türk on Friday urged the government to “rescind its decision to proscribe Palestine Action and halt investigations and further proceedings against protesters who have been arrested” on the basis of the proscription.

This comes in the wake of some 200 arrests made under the Terrorism Act 2000 as a result of Defend our Juries’ campaign to challenge Palestine Action’s banning. 

The UN expert noted how the UK’s counter-terror laws infringe upon fundamental rights and freedoms.

Head of Public Advocacy at CAGE International, Anas Mustapha, said:

“The statements by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights simply reinforce what many activists across the UK have been raising alarm bells about for years - the clamp down on civil liberties under the guise of counter-terrorism.”

“The proscription of Palestine Action has now exposed the reality of what CAGE International has been campaigning for, for over two decades in relation to counter-terrorism legislation. It is about time that the UK’s draconian anti-terror legal framework be abolished.”