Palestine Action ban protesters plan to ‘go floppy’ and refuse street bail

Protesters taking part in a mass demonstration against the ban on Palestine Action look set to use tactics including “going floppy” and refusing street bail if arrested, in a bid to make conditions more challenging for police.

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, said such methods will avoid making it “easier for the police to enforce a completely unjust law”.

Organiser Defend Our Juries had planned to overwhelm the criminal justice system by gathering 500 people for a mass demonstration last month, with the number set to at least double on Saturday.

At the time, Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy said the plan to jam the system was “completely misguided”.

Several hundred protesters are set to take action in London, Belfast and Edinburgh this weekend, holding signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

The action is planned on condition of at least 1,000 people pledging support, but hundreds more are said to be planning to take part, with a boost in support after a number of activists involved in organising the protests were arrested under terror laws.

The tactic of refusing street bail means more people need to be taken into custody, and “going floppy” means more officers are needed to carry protesters away if arrested.

A number of demonstrations have been held over the summer in which more than 700 people have been arrested and 115 charged so far.

On Wednesday, film director Ken Loach was among speakers at a press conference held on Zoom about the planned demonstration, calling the ban on Palestine Action “absurd”.

Scriptwriter Paul Laverty, who has worked with Loach on several films, was arrested at a protest in Edinburgh, reportedly over a T-shirt he was wearing.

Loach said his long-time collaborator is “a brave opponent of injustice”.