To wonder why so many pensioners are supporting Palestine Action, even willing to risk prison for it ?

[PrincessSophieFrederike]

Palestine Action showed their true colours a long time ago. I strongly oppose a lot of Netanyahu's actions- I don't object to a protest for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. That wasn't Palestine Action's agenda, though.

I would've thought people 60+ would have, on average, accumulated more wisdom. Young people have often been swept up into radical movements with dangerous agendas (look at 60s protestors who thought Castro & co.were nice etc). It's no excuse..but is a BIT easier to see why young people (student age) might fall for this kind of stuff. Also people now seem to have less media literacy, esp SM.

But why are 60+ year olds getting caught up in it?? Willing to go to prison? What is going on? This hasn't happened before with stuff like BLM or Extinction Rebellion, so what us going on now?

So what's your definition of "older" ?

And fewer "young" people voted because they could be bothered to register to vote - despite an extension of the cutoff date.

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/registration-deadline-be-extended-last-chance-register-vote-eu-referendum

No doubt they were in their rooms gaming, smoking dope and bonking their feckless girlfriends/boyfriends, meanwhile their mothers were posting on MN about their behaviour/attitude

Well considering the Brexit referendum was 9 years ago many were in their 50s and 43% of those 65 and above voted to stay soooo….

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this group didn't already do voluntary litter picking etc

@ForWittyTealOP would you like to apologise and define what you mean by holocaust co-opter? or should I just report your hateful post?

Yeah, and it's all 80 year olds on the marches 🙄🙄🙄

Interesting how voting for brexit is posted as a sign of lack of wisdom now. And not a single poster has disagreed

Hear hear 👏

Ooo exciting, another thread about Palestine set up so everyone can have the same old arguments and the same old posters can come on and trot out the same old lines!

It's always been so, but that doesn't make it accurate.

Let’s accept that, on average, people who voted Leave score marginally less well on particular cognitive tests than those who voted Remain. Are we really going to say that their votes should carry less weight?

If so, should this apply more generally? For example, if I have read them correctly, the detailed results of a research paper also suggest that people with higher cognitive ability are marginally more likely to vote Conservative than Labour. Does that mean anything?

There are also limits to measuring ‘intelligence’, or competence more generally, on the basis of these tests. Some people may just not be as quick at recalling facts, or as good at mental maths.

Other studies have suggested that people from different ethnic groups perform differently on standard Western IQ tests – but let’s not even go there. This is a slippery slope.

Interesting how voting for brexit is posted as a sign of lack of wisdom now.

Because it isn't a sign of wisdom..

It was never going to deliver what people wanted

This. I think people imagine that older people were always sweet old grandmas and never had a political thought in their heads beyond “oooh - winter fuel allowance - lovely jubbly”.

My parents were huge student activists in the early 70s. My mum was one of a number of students suspended from university for a political protest and my dad led the entire university going out on strike in support. (They weren’t together at this point.)

Their beliefs were blunted for a long time due to raising kids. But now they are in their mid to late 70s, they have loads of money, their kids have kids of their own, my dad is in recovery from cancer so they are aware their life may be short. So what else are they going to do with their time other than fight for something they believe in? Watch Antiques Roadshow.

As far as I know they are not at the protest. I don’t really know their opinion on the Palestine situation as I don’t want to fall out with them if we have different views. But if they are then they will have done their research and be convinced of it.

But you did see this with XR. Defend our juries, who is organising the protests against the ban on Palestine Action, literally started because they believed there was a state and judiciary crackdown on the right to protest following the rise of XR and Just Stop Oil, which was affecting the ability of juries to do their job. The main difference is XR and JSO weren’t banned, but Defend our Juries regularly held protests outside courts etc complaining about the crackdown on jurors to vote according to their conscious etc.

But Defend our Juries’ argument here is the banning of PA is a crackdown on the right to protest/freedom of reach. They are advocates for the right to protest (with many also having sympathies with Palestine)

It is not supporting Palestine so much as anti semitism and the desire to disrupt.

Do you expect pensioners to just stay at home knitting or watching soaps?

How patronising.

Today's pensioners would have been involved in protests as students and beyond and continued with their activism through life.

Also as pensioners I assume they have long run out of fucks to give and don't need to worry about getting a criminal record that might affect their work life.

I think they are amazing! It is important to support freedom of speech and the right to protest in this country.

You are being unreasonable. If you listened to what these protesters are saying, you would understand perfectly.

Old enough to know better?

Good grief, OP, how patronising are you?

There’s no fool like an old fool!

I'd be willing to listen. What would they say if I asked why they don't support a non proscribed pro gaza group instead?

Apparently the majority of people who voted for Brexit were pensioners/ older people. Which doesn't says a lot of their "wisdom".

You also have to remember that a lot of these protesters are 60s type lefties, in love with Lenin, anti authority etc - and just a touch antisemitic.

The proscription of Palestine Action is being appealed in the courts so I've no idea why they would protest instead of letting the legal process take its course.

I suspect they don't actually know what they are protesting about. Interviews in the Guardian with some of those arrested talked about genocide in Gaza - which is fine, but the aren't protesting about genocide in Gaza, they are protesting about a group in the UK who have been proscribed in the UK for actions taken in the UK.

One of those arrested turned up on my thread about this to claim that the military planes that were damaged by Palestine Action were used to refuel Israeli bombers which is demonstrably false as they use different refueling systems. He also appeared to think that it was ok that Palestine Action put a police officer in hospital if it could be argued that they didn't use a sledgehammer to do it.

Palestine Action have a training manual and list targets that include other RAF bases. The slogan 'I support Palestine Action' means 'I support further attacks on the UK military at a time when we are essentially at war with Russia'. This is something that if it were foreigners were doing would be a huge concern for UK citizens.

So I think the pensioners being arrested are either stupid, or haven't actually done their research.

What on earth? Are you actually blaming the UN for not distributing aid? Have you even read the articles you have linked to?

Or are you being sarcastic?

I have never reported a post but I will report yours for blatantly lying. Ironically, people just need to read the links you posted to understand you are lying but some won't. So even if you are actually being sarcastic I think it will be lost on too many people.

I'm really not sure. My mother, who is pretty left wing, thinks they are idiotic. I do as well. While I certainly don't condone all of Israel's actions, I do get annoyed with the Free Palestine movement: not just PA but the whole 'globalise the infitada' nonsense. It's omnicause bullshit and the people marching don't have a clue.

My parents remember the second world war. They saw the images of concentration camps. Its hitting close to that

Apologise for what? Are you going to apologise for saying you don't condemn Hamas and 7th October? Wonder why your post was rightfully deleted?