Speaking to Byline Times yesterday, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Lisa Smart condemned the arrest of campaigners against the government's designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. The people arrested are members of the group Lift the Ban.
Lisa said:
"The arrest of these campaigners under terror laws, following hundreds of arrests under the same powers last month, is deeply alarming. If charged, they could face up to 14 years in prison simply for expressing support for Palestine Action.
"The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of a liberal democracy – this sets a dangerous precedent and risks a chilling impact on free speech and legitimate protest."
She also said the arrests were "exactly what we warned about when the Conservatives expanded terrorism powers in 2018" and that "this Labour government has adopted the Conservative playbook instead of defending people’s right to peaceful protest".
It's good to see Liberal Democrat speaking out so clearly on this, though it does make me wish we had voted against the designation of Palestine Action as terrorists in the first place.
And I sense the possibility of an infinite regress here. Will people who campaign against these new arrests be arrested in turn? And what of people who then speak up for them?
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