- Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has criticised the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, warning it could lead to increased public support for the group.
- Her concerns intensified after over 500 people were arrested in central London for displaying items in support of a proscribed organisation during a weekend march.
- Baroness Chakrabarti argued that acts like criminal damage, such as spraying paint, do not equate to terrorism, and urged the government to “think again” on the ban.
- Civil liberties groups, along with cross-party MPs, have condemned the mass arrests as disproportionate and an excessive use of counter-terrorism powers.
- The Home Secretary and Downing Street have defended the ban, saying that Palestine Action is a violent organisation responsible for significant injury and extensive criminal damage.
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