Do the people being arrested for Palestine Action not know about the sledgehammer attack?

[noblegiraffe]

With 500-odd people having been arrested for expressing support for proscribed terrorist organisation Palestine Action, I'm just baffled as to why they are willing to get a criminal record which could bar them from travel to the USA and work in education for an organisation whose members attacked police officers with a sledgehammer.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/disturbing-sledgehammer-attack-police-during-9463071

Regardless of whether this group should be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, surely no one should look at that and think 'yeah, that's a group I think should be allowed to continue to do its thing, attack a few more police officers with sledgehammers, that's the hill I'm willing to die on.'

Wouldn't you think 'I'm not sure if they should be proscribed as terrorists, but given the sledgehammer attack, I'm not going to turn up with banners in support and be arrested for them, I'll just get on with protesting the genocide instead because that's a better cause'.

So do they not know about the violence? Or do they not care and are willing to support violent organisations?

(note this is not a thread for debating Gaza, I want to talk about British people who are absolutely legally allowed to protest genocide but aren't allowed to support proscribed terrorist organisations - which is also not allowed on MN).

So absolutely no consideration of the terrorism on Palestinians prior to Oct 7th? No? They’re starving children to death and you’re ok with that cos “Oct 7th”? Shame on you. There is no self infliction here. the responsibility for shooting Palestinian children in the head lies solely with the Israelis. And for you to say this… shame on you

You support sniping children in the head? Wtf is wrong with you?

Terrorism has consequences. If you feel comfortable supporting terrorists that’s your choice but not one I could ever make.

And what of the terrorist IDF? Starving children to death… ok with you is it?? Sniping children in the head and chest or even the testicles… all ok with you? I hope
your children are never in the sights of the IDF

The Wikipedia entry for PA has no mention of a sledgehammer attack. If those who were arrested yesterday had googled in advance, they'd likely have gone to Wikipedia first.

Edit - it doesn't mention a sledgehammer attack on a person.

TBH I doubt the anti-Israel industry cares who it gets into bed with. The “Yemen, Yemen, make us proud” and “From the river to the sea” chants, the support for murderous antisemitic terrorists, the willingness to support a home-grown group proscribed in the UK, the long-running BDS campaign, it’s all much of a muchness.

And it’s really not difficult to understand what’s behind it all.

The IDF isn’t a terrorist organisation.

I don’t support terrorism. I’d advise anyone to be wary of making statements in support of proscribed terrorist groups in public as like hundreds found out yesterday they’ll be liable for arrest and subsequent terrorism related charges.

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/un-experts-urge-united-kingdom-not-misuse-terrorism-laws-against-protest www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/un-experts-urge-united-kingdom-not-misuse-terrorism-laws-against-protest]]]]

united nations human rights statement

I wonder if there’s another way to protest about this as opposed to supporting a terrorist organisation? Let me think…

The UN - and the ICJ and the (non-UN) ICC - really is a waste of time now. Totally captured. The UNRWA disgrace tells us everything we need to know.

This is a thread about an organisation whose members have attacked police officers with a sledgehammer, who British people have somehow still seen fit to deliberately invite arrest by publicly supporting.

You may be on the wrong thread if you want to discuss something else.

As the article is from August 2024. I doubt people are aware of it.

Surprised the Government decided to change their status now though

It is really interesting that the statement suggests that it is merely about criminal damage to property where the government legislation clearly states that Palestine Action has used violence and is willing to use violence.

Perhaps the UN experts also don't know about the sledgehammer attack on police?

If you were personally going to go out and do something deliberately illegal and basically ask to be arrested for supporting these people, jeopardising future travel and employment prospects, wouldn't you do some research on the people that you were getting arrested for?

Is that really too much to expect?

Half of them are retired and the other half are probably out of work for ‘anxiety’ so it won’t be a concern for them

And yet none of them seem to have been prosecuted for 'attacking police officers with a sledgehammer'. So that's odd.

Seems the Bristol paper was a bit fast and loose with the facts. Or just had no idea of the truth at the time.

The court case states
aggravated burglary with a sledgehammer

it also states gbh, abh, for some of them
It doesn’t state assault with a sledgehammer. It states damage to buildings etc with the sledgehammer. Not people

Thats what they were charged with

So the sledgehammer and other stuff they took with them was to smash up equipment used to supply Israel’s war against Gaza .

The attached is an article about the court charges

They shouldn’t be attacking people. However the point is
they didn’t attack people with sledgehammers as is being constantly thrown about on this thread

Agree.
They didn’t

‘GBH - but it’s ok, no sledgehammers involved’

GBH is the second most serious bodily harm crime to murder.

I am wasting my breath but I will say it anyway. I do not support the tactics of Palestine Action. Nor do I support the actions of Extinction Rebellion. But these people are allegedly guilty of criminal actions. If they have assaulted or injured anyone they should be dealt with in courts according to the law.

What many decent and honest citizens are disturbed by is the use of parliamentary power to call this terrorism. It is not terrorism. It may indeed be criminal, but it is a slippery slope when we start to call people terrorists simply because we disagree with them or their tactics. It is the erosion of fundamental freedoms that are driving the protests. The government have misstepped and can't back down from this.

There are a lot of people in the UK that deeply disturb me in terms of their activities. Some of them seem to post on these boards, carefully skirting the edges of the rules. But if Palestine Action are terrorists, then how the hell are neo-Nazi groups organising attackes on asylum seekers and others NOT terrorists?

And you are being disingenuous saying that this isn't about Gaza. Of course it is about Gaza. None of this would be going on if it were not for what is happening in Gaza.

They weren’t charged with sledgehammering people though.
The thread article is incorrect. Facts are everything don’t you think

This ^

Did you read what you posted?

Do you know what using a sledgehammer as an offensive weapon means?

Yes, exactly.

Jeez, some people will go to any lengths to excuse violent antisemites.

Exactly

The UK is a disgrace over stepping their own made up idea of what terrorism is

Basically it’s anyone that doesn’t agree with UK thought speak.