If a blind protester in a wheelchair is considered a terrorist, anyone can be treated as a terrorist

Yesterday marked one of the most shameful days in the history of the Metropolitan Police as they arrested peaceful protesters including a blind man in a wheelchair, an 81-year-old woman with Parkinson's, a former British army officer, and a bunch of, um, Quakers. All of them were protesting against two things: the UK's ongoing participation in the Gaza genocide and the proscription of Palestine Action. All of them were arrested under the Terrorism Act.

Imagine being the police officer whose job it was to wheel this man away. You can see the shame in his face as he lowers his head. These officers must know history is not going to judge them kindly, but they must also know just following orders is not okay. If I was a police officer, I would not have made those arrests, even if it cost me my job. Doing the right thing is infinitely more important than just following orders.

It's not like they can say the blind man in a wheel chair was a one-off either. Just look at this terrifying terrorist. Thank god the police are keeping us safe from her. I will sleep soundly in my bed tonight!

Yesterday police made twice the number of counter-terrorism arrests than they did in all of 2023 and one-fifth of those arrested were over 70.

One police officer was wearing a hat that suggested he came from a Welsh police force. Remember this when police say they can't send any officers out after you've been burgled. Police are dealing with the real criminals now, and the real criminals include quakers. Yes, quakers were arrested.

Around one thousand protesters filled parliament square and if you seriously think all of these people have suddenly turned into terrorists, you need your head examined. These are good, honest people driven only by their conscience and their compassion for others.

Reports on the number of arrests vary, but it was clearly in the hundreds, with the BBC putting the figure at 365. There are just 600 custody spaces available to the Met at any one time so it was a brilliant day to be an actual criminal. The courts are facing backlogs lasting years. Logistically it is impossible to deal with all these protesters so we will end up in the farcical situation where some will be arrested but most won't.

The propaganda framing from the BBC on the arrests has been truly ludicrous. They described the protesters attempts to “evade detection” by bringing blank pieces of paper along, explaining they would only write messages on the cards if more than 500 people turned up.

"Our correspondent.. has been telling me how protesters carefully planned to evade police detection while carrying placards as part of their protest," the newsreader explained as though she was describing the most sinister plot ever uncovered.

Presumably the protesters were taking blank pieces of card to test the absurdity of the policing same way people did at the king's coronation and were arrested for it. The BBC seems to think their collective solidarity is some shady subversive act rather than common sense and decency.

I'm unclear if anyone holding a blank piece of card was arrested, but I do know a former British army officer was. Are we really pretending this gentleman is a terrorist? Really? His name is retired Colonel Chris Romberg and he has worked in diplomatic posts near Israel and seen the injustices first-hand.

All of these protesters are incredibly brave and have made a huge self-sacrifice. Perhaps I am committing a crime by saying this, perhaps I will go to jail for saying something that I sincerely believe, but sincerity is a key point here. These protesters are acting with the utmost sincerity. They feel the injustice in Palestine deep within their souls. They feel it is utterly wrong to criminalise those who are trying to stop this genocide. These are good people acting with the best possible intentions to stop the worst possible crime, and our government is treating them as terrorists. I've been writing my whole life and I don't have the words to articulate how wrong our government is on this matter.

Make no mistake, the consequences of being treated as a terrorist are huge. Even if you don't get imprisoned, even if you don't get convicted, you will be expected to state that you have been arrested for terrorism on things like job applications and visa applications, meaning this will follow you for the rest of your life.

There is the possibility that the proscription of Palestine Action could be overturned in the courts and yet these protesters will still have these investigations hanging over their heads. It is so profoundly wrong.

While the government will argue the support for Palestine Action is the issue here, the reality is it is the support for Palestine. The government is treating law abiding citizens as terrorists because our ministers are scared they will one day be held accountable for their war crimes. This is an attempt to kill off support for Palestine and save themselves from accountability.

Frustratingly, many members of the public are failing to understand a key point: if they are coming for retired vicars and doctors and ex-servicemen and blind men in wheelchairs and people who've never been in trouble their entire lives, they can come for literally anyone. You might think you are safe because you are quiet on this issue, but the moment you say something that upsets the government, they can find a way to treat you as a criminal or a terrorist. This is what authoritarians do.

It's important that people understand, authoritarianism is not some destination we're heading towards, it's a place we've already reached. We have three political parties that agree on these authoritarian measures because they are all part of the same establishment.

The Online Safety Act is laying the groundwork for mass surveillance - digital IDs are the final tool they will need. Soon everyone can and will be held accountable for opinions the government disapproves of.

Even if you don't support Palestine Action, you should oppose these authoritarian measures because everyone with a political opinion can find themselves in the firing line. Maybe Palestine is not the issue that you care about. Maybe the thing that will radicalise you will be when they sell off our NHS, or introduce conscription, or deny you disability benefits, or deport the foreigner you fell in love with.

People who do not expect to become political become political for many different reasons. When people feel an injustice deep inside of them, the instinct is to speak out, to stand up for human rights, just like the Suffragettes and the Civil Rights movement and so many others.

The British government is putting the pieces into place so that no such movement can ever happen again. If your government is violating your rights or someone else's rights, you will simply have to accept it, or be treated as a terrorist. Is this okay with you?

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