Labour Minister Defends Arrest Of Elderly Woman For Holding Sign At Palestine Action Demo

Police officers arrest an 89-year-old protester at a "Lift The Ban" demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action.A Labour minister has insisted “no one is above the law” as she defended the arrest of elderly protesters at a demonstration supporting the banned group Palestine Action.The government took the controversial decision to proscribe the organisation after some of its members damaged aircraft at at RAF base.At the weekend, more than 500 people – many of them aged over 60 – were arrested for taking part in a demonstration outside parliament calling for the ban to be lifted.On BBC Breakfast this morning, presenter Jon Kay told victims minister Alex Davies-Jones there had been “suggestions that this was not a proportionate response by the police”.She said: “The right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy and of course we respect that. But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful.“They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft, we have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom and there are other reasons we cannot disclose because of national security.“They are a proscribed terrorist organisation, and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law.”But Kay then told her: “The average age of people arrested at the weekend was 54, the group most arrested was aged between 60 and 69, some were considerably older than that.“Are you comfortable with the idea of an elderly lady, maybe in her 70s and 80s, going to prison for years, for holding up a sign?”Davies-Jones said: “As I’ve stated, no one is above the law here. I would say to those individuals who are maybe wanting to show support for Palestine, and wanting to show support for the horrific scenes that we’re seeing in Gaza ... you can do that peacefully.“However, there are a small minority who are choosing to support a proscribed terrorist organisation and that is illegal. If you choose to show support for that terrorist organisation, you will feel the full force of the law.”'If you choose to show support for that terrorist organisation you will feel the full force of the law'Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones spoke to #BBCBreakfast after 532 people were arrested at a protest in support of Palestine Action - a group proscribed under the Terrorism… pic.twitter.com/SFkulXx2qt— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) August 11, 2025Related...'Entirely Disproportionate': Police Slammed For Mass Arrests At Palestine Action ProtestWhy The Palestine Action Protest Will Be A Particularly Tough Test For Yvette Cooper And The PoliceBrits Are Increasingly In Favour Of Palestine Statehood. Here Are The Numbers To Prove It.

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