RANT: SILENCE IS GOLDEN. BUT IS IT?

  

 

FOR THOSE WHO LIKE their dystopian stories set to a slower simmer, here’s an example from everyone's favourite soap opera, “Our World and You’re Not in It”. 

So, the British government this past week has proscribed the nationalist, non-violent, direct-action protest group, “Palestine Action”, labeling it a "terrorist" organization. And that’s not just a slur. It comes with serious consequences.

Last month, two members of PA, riding motor scooters, gained access to the RAF Rinze Norton base in Oxfordshire, about 121 kms. NW of London. Under the cloak of night, they sprayed red paint onto the wings and engines of two Airbus Voyager transport planes. A spokesperson for the group said they targeted the aircraft because they are used for transport and refueling operations in support of Israel's on-going genocide in Gaza. The group’s spokesperson states that their actions:

 

“…have interrupted Britain’s direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East.” They go on to say: “Despite publicly condemning the Israeli government, Britain continues to send military cargo, fly spy planes over Gaza and refuel US and Israeli fighter jets.” In a further statement PA said, ““We represent every person who stands for Palestinian liberation. If they want to ban us, they ban us all.” (The Guardian, June 20/25)

 

IT IS IMPORTANT to note that the direct-action group targets the physical assets of empire—not people. PA targets multinational arms dealers and corporate banks. In 2024, for example, PA activists staged over twenty protests at a factory in Shenstone that makes drone components for the Israeli military,  “blockading the gates, occupying the roof and smashing up machinery.” UAV Engines, the British subsidiary of Israeli arms manufacturer, Elbit Industries^*, makes “85%” of Israel’s drone fleet and though the company says it makes components exclusively for the British army “trade data shows it exports drone parts to Israel.” (The Guardian)

For their efforts combating the Israeli death machine, Palestine Action has been designated by the British government a “terrorist” organization under the Terrorism Act 2000. This means it is now illegal to join, fund, or express support for the group. And Palestine Action is banned from any and all activity, protests, or direct actions. Meanwhile, four of its members have been charged with  “…conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, under the Criminal Law Act 1977.” (The Guardian)

Following the arrests, supporters of AP in London, staging a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, were arrested for supporting a proscribed group. The arrests included an 83-year-old retired minister. Lawyer Tim Crosland, another protestor who was arrested, said:

 

“There are already 18 Palestine Actionists held in UK prisons without a trial… If we cannot speak freely about the genocide of Palestinians, if we cannot condemn those who enable it and praise those who resist it, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning, and democracy in this country is dead.” (Daily Mail)

 

 An expert panel from the UN Human Rights Council (which included Francesca Albanese) in a statement warned of “disproportionate penalties of up to 14 years in prison could apply” even for wearing a “Palestine Action” tee-shirt in public. The HRC panel said:

 

“These offences would criminalize legitimate activities by innocent members of the group that do not contribute in any way to property damage by other members, let alone 'terrorism' which, if properly defined, the group has not committed.... Mere property damage, without endangering life, is not sufficiently serious to qualify as terrorism.” (United Nations Human rights Council)

 

SO, where this all goes is anybody’s guess, but it’ll probably be to a place that is a whole lot less comfortable to live in.

AND a final bit of Kafkaesque icing to slather atop this fruitcake comes from the British Parliament during a July 2/25 debate when Independent MP Sarah Sultana concluded her remarks by saying:

“We have to recognize that this will go down as a dark day in our country’s history and one that will be remembered: people will ask: ‘Which side were you on?’ and I stand with the millions of people who oppose genocide, because I am one of them. I oppose the blood-soaked hands of this government trying to silence us. So, I say this loudly and proudly on Wednesday 2 July 2025: We are all Palestine Action.” 

 

 Palestine Action Website transferred to others outside the UK

👉The interesting thing, which is actually somewhat alarming, was that her speech, recorded by parliamentary video cameras, was edited in Hansard, the official transcript of parliamentary debates. The words “Palestine Action” were deleted from the official print record. Small beer? So what? You say. Yes, it is a bit in the weeds and fodder mostly for nerds and sticklers, but if the government censors and starts to “memory hole” what parliamentarians are saying⁺  (in a real sense their words are for posterity) where does the censorship end? Answer: It ends as far as they can go until we finally stop them. 

 

TODAY, we are faced with censorious “hate” speech laws, or laws that limit public protest, or tech censorship in one form or another across IT platforms, and perhaps most insidious, self-censorship. Challenging these new laws that clamp down on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest all come with possible real-world penalties, like losing your job, or not getting tenure, or  receiving onerous fines, even jail time. Being critical of Israel, for example, and saying so publicly, can get you labeled as "antisemitic" and charged with a "hate crime". For attending a pro-Palestine rally at your university campus, you can get deported from the United States if you're an overseas student studying there. Domestic students attending a rally may find themselves expelled or barred from campus. Think about that.  

 

We live in a time when governments are scrambling to control populations that are increasingly fractious and angry with political parties and politicians that ignore the will of the people and adopt policies they do not favour.

 👉GOVERNMENTS and institutions in democracies throughout the West are clamping down on critical speech and rational dialogue in favour of diatribes and platitudes. Shamefully, our politicians seem to lie all the time. Black is white. Up is down. Or at least it seems to me. At any rate, it's a safe bet the powers-that-be are just getting started. Buckle up!

 

Cheers, Jake. ____________________________________

  

* The firm made bicycles until the 1990s. Those were the ones that came with the optional mini rocket launchers.

+ “In George Orwell's 1984, a ‘memory hole’ is a physical opening in the wall connected to a chute that leads to an incinerator. It's used by the Party's Ministry of Truth to discard any documents, photographs, or records that contradict current Party dogma or have become inconvenient. This process effectively erases them from history and memory, allowing the Party to maintain control by rewriting the past to suit its needs.” (Google A-I)¹

 

1.   I have to admit the darn A-I gave a helpful answer to my “What is a memory hole?” query (which I thought might be Orwell). Okay. Not bad. For a machine. Yea. Thanks. That was helpful. Alright. Just as long as you don’t link up with other A-Is and go ‘Sky Net’ on us!