George Monbiot joins “Lift the Ban” protest ahead of mass national action on 9 August

Saturday 26 July, 1:00PM | The Butterwalk, opp. Market Square, Totnes High Street TQ9 5SQ

This Saturday, a group of Totnes residents—including award-winning author and journalist George Monbiot and 80-year-old retired nurse Mary Light —will join a nationwide wave of protest as part of Defend Our Juries’ campaign, Lift The Ban.The campaign opposes the Home Secretary’s classification of the direct action group Palestine Action as a ‘terrorist’ organisation.

Some local people will be peacefully holding signs stating: “I Oppose Genocide. I Support Palestine Action”- the same wording which has led to arrests under the Terrorism Act for more than 200 people since the proscription order came into force on 5 July this year.

The group will notify the police of the action in advance and understand the risk of being arrested.

George Monbiot said: “The proscription of Palestine Action is the most illiberal thing any Home Secretary has done for at least 30 years. The result is an Orwellian situation, in which people gently calling for peace are arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the government actively assists Israeli state terror, as it perpetrates genocide in Gaza. This is an assault on free speech, on logic and on human decency.”

Important context:

The Government admitted in court on Monday that Palestine Action does not advocate for violence against people, but only for damage to property used to support the Israeli Government’s assault on Gaza.
Since October 2023, at least 58,000 Palestinians have been reported killed,
Starvation is acute: at least 67 Palestinians were killed while collecting aid on 20 July, and around 800 have died accessing aid
Nearly 2.1 million people—about 88% of Gaza’s population—have been displaced into just 12% of its territory
The World Health Organization and UN agencies are warning of imminent famine and breakdown of water and medical services
Mary Light said: “I am a retired nurse. I am horrified to see the utter cruelty unleashed by the Israeli government and army. Parents are having to watch their children die from starvation, children seeing a dearly loved parent lying dead, waiting to be buried in a mass grave. As a nurse, I’m also appalled by the targeted destruction of hospitals and the torture, imprisonment and killing of medical staff. Over 1,400 healthcare workers have died—this is a war on Gaza’s healthcare.”

Artist and Grandmother Ruth Ben-Tovim said: ‘’Resistance is lawful. Resisting genocide is not wrong—it is a moral and legal obligation. Palestine Action have been labelled “terrorists” for protest actions including spray‑painting military aircraft to highlight UK arms complicity with Israel’s genocide. Once “terrorism” means “economic damage” or “embarrassment”, freedom of expression ceases to exist.”

We are just ordinary people, but we can’t be bystanders and ignore what is happening. Conscience demands:

1 – That the UK government must lift the ban on [de-proscribe] direct action group Palestine Action.

2 – An end to the role of arms and oil industry lobbyists in proposing  laws that criminalise those who expose the violence and lies of those industries.

3 – An end to the sale of arms to a state committing genocide, as international law demands.

4 – The legal right of everyone who has taken reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent mass loss of life to present that as a defence to criminal charges.

5 – An end to the jailing of people for taking peaceful action to protect life in accordance with international law.

We will notify our local Totnes police station about the action. Police responses have varied across the country—some respect the Human Rights Act, others enforce the Terrorism Act. We await the police’s response in Totnes.

This is just a small aspect of a much bigger story, of international complicity in Gaza’s genocide.

We stand to show solidarity, to make visible the brutal implications of this law, and to oppose our government’s role in genocide.