There’s a deep unease that’s bothering me and it should bother you too.

Banning Palestine Action, a direct-action protest group, charging them under UK anti-terrorism laws should be an eye-opener for all. It should be a deep moment of realisation for all of us who engage in protest and resistance to observe the overarching powers of the state and how they can be used.

To quote the Special Rapporteur’s of the United Nations “While there is no binding definition of terrorism in international law, best practice international standards limit terrorism to criminal acts intended to cause death, serious personal injury or hostage taking, in order to intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organisation to do or to abstain from doing any act.”

Evidently, this is not a definition some governments apply to themselves. Least of all the Israeli state. Iran and other actors in the Middle East are defined as terrorist states, why not the country which is terrorising an entire population in Gaza? Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the breath taking hypocrisy of its application, it is a persuasive definition.

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Except that last week, Westminster effectively extended that definition to include non-violent acts against property. I choose to express my support for Palestinians through other means than those employed by Palestine Action. However, those who say they support Palestine Action, irrespective of whether they are even involved in any action of non-violent civil disobedience, could be jailed for up to 14 years. That........

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