A male member of Palestine Action hit a policewoman in the back with a sledgehammer and broke her spine

[JKLolling]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/18/pro-palestine-activists-used-sledgehammers-in-action-at-israel-linked-firm-uk-court-told

The poor woman was on the floor facing away from him when he hit her in the back with a sledgehammer and broke her spine. They also brought whips and used them on the security guards.

I'm so appalled by these vile thugs and mortified for the elderly useful idiots who got themselves arrested for supporting them

And this is why they were proscribed. Those wasting police time showing support for PA in the days immediately after the synagogue stabbing in Manchester should hang their heads in shame. Taking police resources away from defending a community grieving a racist, terrorist attack was shockingly self indulgent. For what? To defend men who attack women with sledgehammers. Utterly shameful.

For me, this underlines what a stupid decision it was to declare them terrorists, which has caused a massive backlash and made the government look callous and stupid, “arresting pensioners holding signs and not giving a shit about thousands of dead Palestinian children.”

All they had to do was use existing criminal law, let facts like this come out, and I think the majority of the pro-Palestine movement would have quietly disowned them. The majority of the British public supports an arms embargo on Israel. The vast majority of the British public also thinks protesters who attack people with sledgehammers are violent shits who should be locked up.

I heard someone from this group talking on R4, completely denying anyone had ever used violence. They were obviously telling a bare faced lie. Plus they were encouraging people to come out and demonstrate against the banning of the group. What despicable people they are.

They were planning further attacks on RAF bases. Do you think they should have been allowed to go ahead as planned and the people be locked up afterwards? Perhaps you're happy for the millions of pounds of taxpayer damage they have been causing to continue to rack up, so long as the perpetrators are correctly charged?

Anyway, the proscription is being appealed in the courts so the protests were a complete waste of time anyway. Or maybe the protesters don't believe in the democratic process.

@noblegiraffe you may well be right. But as I said, what I know about this case is what the Prosecution have, so far, put forward.

I'll make my decision once all is aired in court. I like to hear both sides, before I judge.

@noblegiraffe you may well be right. But as I said, what I know about this case is what the Prosecution have, so far, put forward.

I'll make my decision once all is aired in court. I like to hear both sides, before I judge.

Yes, perhaps the police officer broke her own spine.

In retrospect yes, but none of this was known at the time! (I assumed they must have dodgy foreign sources of funding/links to actual terror groups, because there didn’t seem to be any other justification for proscribing them)

@noblegiraffe are you saying that if the police know about planned criminal action they can only act to prevent it if the group is designated terrorist? I don’t believe that.

I posted about it at the time! This was absolutely all in the public domain when pensioners were queuing up to be handcuffed.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5389133-do-the-people-being-arrested-for-palestine-action-not-know-about-the-sledgehammer-attack

I think there are gaps in the law here. I know that when Rudakabana was arrested it was discussed that police don't have the necessary powers to stop someone planning an attack if it's not for a terrorist cause.
E.g.
"Had police found he had been researching a target prior to the attack, they could not have arrested and charged him with a serious offence because he had no ideological motive linked to the definition of terrorism."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9w14yjw8x0o

Proscribing the group as terrorists would certainly have helped the police with prevention of future attacks.

The sound like terrorists to me, they were out terrorising and committing brutal crimes after all. Perhaps the government would like to have given more info on their reasons but couldn't as they didn't want to prejudice a case like this. And they are now being proved 100% right, and all the PA supporters shown to be terrorists or morons who don't do basic research before going out and getting arrested for terrorism in the narcissistic hope someone will consider them a hero for doing so.

Wait, according to the pro Palestine people palestine action are all innocent heroes who only damaged property that was to be used in the war in Gaza? That or harmless elderly people holding signs. Colour me shocked that this is a load of BS.

I agree.

Yet dopey idiots sit down in the road holding signs supporting these thugs. This is why many refer to them as 'useful idiots' to Hamas, they are just that useful idiots. To many they are seen, as showing terrorists, that they can do what they want, and some plonkers in the west will excuse it away, even rape, torture, kidnap, is hand waved away.

Any compassion for the woman? A broken spine. Not from the useful idiots, they have found their cause, support of the fluffy poor misunderstood terrorists.

Yes, its no surprise the organisation was proscribed as terrorist supporting. Their supporters are so dumb. Why can't people support Palestinians rather than sit down in support of thugs like Palestinian Action Group. They should continue to arrest the brainless twats and issue large fines to help fund the policing and security.

The supporters of Palestine Action appear to have no shame (or no brains). A bandwagon without actually checking out the organisation first.

Heaven forfend that shitbags like this should lose their right to do it. Of course Peter and Lynne of Muchhandwringing on the Media should get in the way of preventing people like this have their fun.

What other side is there to a broken spine from a sledgehammer? Nothing can justify such behaviour, especially against someone that was just doing her job.

I'm sorry but what possible justification could there be for this!?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79727zeqyvo

The BBC has more details

”Footage played in the opening address was said to show Zoe Rogers brandishing and swinging a sledgehammer in front of a security guard, Angelo Volante.
He also said he had been whipped by Charlotte Head and threatened with a saw by Leona Kamio.
Eventually he retreated - but later returned with the police. As he led officers into the factory, video played to the jury on Tuesday was said to show Ms Kamio raising her sledgehammer over her head and bringing it down towards him.
She was then tasered - but continued to resist arrest. The video is then said to show Samuel Corner approaching Sgt Evans and striking her back with a sledgehammer.
"Having hit her once, he raised the sledgehammer again and hit her with it a second time," said Ms Heer.”

Exactly! And it was all caught on camera. The evidence is incontrovertible, there can't be any "other side"

Of course it’s terrible. No doubt.

The question is did the Palestinian Action protestors know about it?

A woman, - who was just doing her job, has had her spine broken but you don’t want to judge?
Fuck me.

It’s terrible.

doesn’t mean every person who’s pro-Palestine is awful.

No, but it shows quite a lot of them were very willing to lie about the violence they perpetrated and witnessed.
Then play the victims. It’s not a good look is it?