Palestine Action being proscribed as a terrorist group

Many of my constituents have been in touch to express their deep concern about the decision by Parliament to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group.  

Together with my fellow Green MPs, I voted against the proscription.

You can read my Green colleague Ellie Chowns’ speech in the debate, which lays out why we voted that way, here.

You can watch a video of a point of order I made about the process of voting on the proscription, here. 

As a result of Palestine Action now being proscribed, I am unfortunately extremely limited in what I am able to say about the decision. 

Despite having sought guidance from the Parliamentary authorities, it remains unclear what I and other parliamentarians can say and do without risking arrest – including how we can support and advocate for e.g. our constituents who are expressing support for Palestine Action, or who might be challenged when speaking out about the genocide in Gaza despite being totally unconnected with Palestine Action. 

I will continue to seek clarity on this matter.

I will always do all I can to protect the right to protest, which I believe is an important part of a healthy democracy.