#uk complicity

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

[thoughtlessarse]

British military involvement in Gaza 'much deeper than media acknowledge'

BRITAIN’S military involvement with Israel’s 14-month long assault on Gaza “goes far beyond” what is commonly assumed, according to a new…

Britain's military involvement with Israel’s 14-month long assault on Gaza “goes far beyond” what is commonly assumed, according to a new report. Researcher Khem Rogaly heralded the findings of a new report by the British Palestine Committee (BCP) which says Britain’s involvement in the war is “much deeper than has been acknowledged in most press coverage”. Speaking at a press conference in London on Thursday, Rogaly said that Britain’s role in licencing arm sales to Israel was the primary area of focus for the media examining the UK’s involvement in the war. But he said that the Royal Air Force has played an integral role in facilitating Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which has killed 44,875 Palestinians as of the end of last week, according to the Gaza health ministry. Referencing Keir Starmer’s address to troops at RAF Akrotiri, a British military base in Cyprus, on Tuesday, Rogaly said: “Over the extraordinarily busy year that Starmer spoke of, one of Akrotiri’s primary functions has been to serve as a logistical supply point for US military cargo, weapons, going to Israel. "Another primary function of the base has been to launch British surveillance flights over Gaza, which have been happening almost every day for the last 14 months.”

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[troythecatfish]

[vivangelist]

"Who are the real terrorists?" As the UK government moves to designate Palestine Action a terrorist organisation, Clare Hinchcliffe - mother of 21-year-old Zoe Rogers, who has been held under the Terrorism Act since August 2024 for direct action at an Israeli arms tactory in Bristol shared her thoughts.

Despite the government's efforts to criminalise the group, Clare says she is "very proud" of her daughter.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed plans to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terror legislation, as hundreds gathered in centralLondonont her, Monday to protest. With police banning demonstrations outside Parliament, protesters rallied in Trafalgar Square, where clashes with officers led to at least three arrests.

If passed by Parliament, the proscription would make membership in or support for Palestine Action a criminal offence under UK law.

Israel kills innocent Palestinians. Activists spray-paint a plane. Guess which the UK government calls terrorism | Sally Rooney

If Palestine Action becomes a proscribed group, writing these words of support could become a serious offence. It’s vital we fight this alar

Mass peaceful protest, even with majority support among the wider population, has yielded no results. In the face of state support for genocide, what are conscientious people supposed to do?

The activists who broke into the RAF facility at Brize Norton knew, of course, that their actions were illegal. From the suffragettes to the gay rights movement to the anti-apartheid struggle, genuine political resistance has always involved intentional law-breaking. As Martin Luther King Jr wrote from a Birmingham jail: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” And the provision of weapons to facilitate genocide is more than unjust: it is an abyss of moral horror. Those brave enough to break the law in protest – many of whom are already serving time in prison for their actions – deserve our highest respect.

But proscribing an entire organisation under the Terrorism Act is not the same thing as prosecuting particular individuals for specific transgressions. If the government follows through with its intention to designate Palestine Action as a terror organisation, mere membership of the group would constitute a crime. In fact, even supporting the group purely in words – as I am doing now – could also constitute a serious legal offence, punishable with a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

[…]

Under UK law, the home secretary has broad discretion to proscribe any organisation “concerned in terrorism”. Until now, this process has only ever been used against militant groups either directly involved in or actively advocating violent armed struggle. But crucially, the act defines terrorism vaguely enough to include mere property damage and disruption of electronic systems – even in the total absence of a threat to human life or public safety. If the government proceeds down this path, any ordinary person in the UK could in theory be sent to prison simply for expressing verbal support for non-violent activism. Quite aside from the broader principle, this would represent an alarming curtailment of free speech.

Palestine Action is not an armed group. It has never been responsible for any fatalities and does not pose any risk to the public. Its methods do involve property sabotage, which is, obviously, illegal. But if killing 23 civilians at an aid distribution site is not terrorism, how can we possibly be expected to accept that spray-painting a plane is? Law-abiding protest has so far failed to stop the genocide. More than 50,000 innocent children have been killed or injured. In what circumstances could civil disobedience ever be justified if not now?

I can only say that I admire and support Palestine Action wholeheartedly – and I will continue to, whether that becomes a terrorist offence or not.

— Sally Rooney, 22 June 2025

[agentfascinateur]

UK - Israel arms back channel found

#uk complicity in genocide

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

@NadiaWhittomeMP

It is clear that Israel has no plans to stop killing Palestinians across Gaza, who have already endured unimaginable horror.

Now, more than a quarter of Lebanon is under evacuation orders, as Israel expands its brutal war.

We must halt all arms sales to Israel.

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

middleeasteye

Nearly 50 British MPs from seven political parties have backed a motion calling for the Labour government to impose sanctions on Israel.

The motion, tabled by independent MP Richard Burgon, calls for the government to respect the United Nations General Assembly's 18 September resolution demanding Israel rapidly ends its occupation of the Palestinian territories, on which the UK abstained as well as the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion that Israel's occupation violates international law.

It "welcomes that the UN resolution calls on states to comply with their obligations under international law and to take concrete steps to address Israel's lawful presence in the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territory]".

Following on from that, the motion says that the House of Commons "believes the adoption of this resolution places new obligations on the Government".

It "calls on the Government to act in support of the UN resolution and ICJ opinion including by ending all military exports to Israel, banning the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements and revoking the 2030 Roadmap which deepens UK economic, trade and security ties with Israel".

The motion, tabled on 8 October, was sponsored by a coalition of independent and Labour MPs, including Zarah Sultana, who has had the Labour whip withdrawn for opposing the two-child benefit cap, as well as Labour MP and former shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott.

All five of the independent MPs who campaigned on a pro-Gaza platform have supported the motion - Jeremy Corbyn, Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed.

One Liberal Democrat MP, Andrew George, has supported it, as well as two Green Party MPs.

But no Conservatives have supported it.

[theinconvenientlifestyle]