Elderly Priest Gets Arrested in UK
(MENAFN) An 83-year-old retired clergyman was taken into custody on Saturday for violating a recently enacted prohibition targeting the activist organization Palestine Action.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and raised serious concerns regarding civil liberties and the right to protest in the United Kingdom.
Reverend Sue Parfitt, a resident of Bristol, was apprehended during the early morning hours while displaying a sign that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
She was one of no fewer than 27 individuals detained across the country for engaging in acts of protest following the Home Office’s designation of the group as a terrorist organization.
The prohibition against Palestine Action officially came into force shortly after midnight, rendering both affiliation with and public backing of the group a criminal offense punishable by a prison term of up to 14 years.
The move comes in response to Palestine Action admitting responsibility for damaging two Voyager aircraft stationed at RAF Brize Norton on 20 June.
This marks the first instance in which the United Kingdom will formally categorize a peaceful protest organization, Palestine Action, as a terrorist entity.
A last-ditch legal effort to delay the ban under the nation’s anti-terror laws was unsuccessful after a high court ruling on Friday.
According to a statement from the Metropolitan Police issued late Saturday, officers had responded to a demonstration occurring in Parliament Square and had commenced making arrests.
“The group is now proscribed, and expressing support for them is a criminal offense,” the police department said. “Arrests are being made.”
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