PN Staff

PN Staff

PN staff

29 December 2023Blog

"We cannot help being reminded of the Massacre of the Innocents"

Two Christian protesters were arrested at Downing Street today [29 Dec '23] after pouring fake blood and putting bloody handprints on the gates. 

Virginia Moffat (58) and Chris Cole (60) from Dorset said that the government had 'blood on its hands' after refusing to demand Israel end its bombing of Gaza, calling it 'a massacre of biblical proportions'.

In a statement distributed at the protest the married couple said:

"Britain's and Israel's justification for this…

1 December 2023Feature

500,000+ march for peace on 11 November

In the run-up to the ‘Ceasefire Now’ demonstration in London on 11 November, prime minister Rishi Sunak condemned it as ‘provocative and disrespectful’ and warned that the march could ‘desecrate’ the Cenotaph, the national war memorial near Downing Street. The then home secretary Suella Braverman joined in, saying: ‘It is entirely unacceptable to desecrate Armistice Day with a hate march through London.’

The main organisers of the protest, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which had…

1 December 2023Feature

Activists sit-in in Sanders' office over Ukraine stance

Eleven CODEPINK anti-war activists were arrested on 4 October after a 50-strong sit-in in Bernie Sanders’ senate office in Washington DC, USA.

Sanders, a left-winger, has voted for more weapons to Ukraine and has criticised Democrats who’ve called for peace talks. ‘I am appalled that no Democrats are saying what the majority of American people are saying: We need peace talks, not more war,’ said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, and author of…

1 December 2023Feature

The names of 261 children from Gaza and Israel killed since 7 October

This list of children 16 and younger killed in the latest Israel-Palestine conflict, has been created to be read out slowly during hour-long ‘Ceasefire Now’ vigils – to remember those who have died and to call for an immediate end to the violence.

This list of 261 names has been compiled from two sources: a spreadsheet of 2,523 names of children killed in Gaza (7 – 26 October 2023), circulated by Iraq Body Count, based on Gaza health ministry information and a 14 November report on…

1 December 2023News

Annual march demands justice for unexplained deaths in custody 

On 28 October, the United Families & Friends Campaign held its annual march from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street in Central London, delivering a list of unexplained deaths in the custody of the state. The march took place just before a massive Gaza solidarity march, where BLM (Black Lives Matter) UK formed part of a bloc remembering those who have died in state custody.

1 December 2023News

Direct action group launches 'underground manual' amidst flurry of ongoing actions

Over the last two months, Palestine Action (PA) has continued its direct action campaign against Elbit Systems UK, the British subsidiary of the Israeli drone manufacturer. PA has also opened up a US branch (which has taken action in Massachussetts and New Hampshire), supported several activists on trial (still ongoing at the time of going to press) and taken action in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

On 5 October, PA added to its acquittals score when one of its activists was…

1 December 2023News

Jews for Justice for Palestinians and Parents Circle - Families Forum speak at alternative remembrance ceremony 

The National Alternative Remembrance Ceremony, organised by the Peace Pledge Union and friends, was held in Tavistock Square, Central London, on 12 November. Over 200 participants observed two minutes’ silence and laid white poppy wreaths in memory of all victims of war. There were three speeches, focused on Palestine.

Richard Kuper of Jews for Justice for Palestinians said: ‘Yesterday saw one of the biggest demonstrations in the United Kingdom against the conflict in the Middle East…

1 December 2023News

Sign up for mass protest on date of 'last chance' court date

Don’t Extradite Assange (DEA) is still recruiting people for a mass protest at 9am at the high court in Central London on ‘Day X’, when Julian Assange faces his last chance in a British court to stop his extradition to the US for exposing US war crimes. He could face up to 175 years in prison.

Meanwhile, on 8 November, 16 Democratic and Republican members of the US congress wrote to US president Joe Biden asking him to withdraw the US extradition request against Assange.

The…

1 December 2023News

Anarchists exclude anarchists for not excluding other anarchists

An anarchist group was refused permission to have a stall at this year’s Anarchist Bookfair in London (ABiL) not because of the Anarchist Communist Group’s stand on trans issues, which the ABiL thinks is now okay, but because the ACG has not expelled members who hold views that the ABiL thinks are unacceptable.

The ‘Anarchist Bookfair in London’ was created after the implosion of the London Anarchist Bookfair in 2017 due to conflicts over trans issues (see…

1 December 2023News

Lawyers detail violations of international humanitarian law

Hundreds of British lawyers have signed two Open Letters to the government (on 26 October and 9 November) detailing Israeli war crimes – and calling for a ceasefire, an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza and a halt to British arms exports to Israel.

The first Open Letter was signed by over 250 lawyers including a former head of the Criminal Bar Association and a former counsel general for Wales. The follow-up was signed by 830 lawyers, including 60 KCs.

The lawyers said that…

31 October 2023Blog

The UK public overwhelmingly supports an immediate ceasefire in Israel-Palestine.

Indeed, in a 19 October 2023 YouGov poll 58% said that there should 'definitely' be an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, with a further 18% saying that there 'probably should' be such a ceasefire.

Though the UK government continues to offer…

1 October 2023Comment

Should campaigners block OpenAI from scraping their websites?

The Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes are currently at the centre of the fight over artificial intelligence (AI), where US-based writers and actors are trying to stop their work from being replaced by AI systems.

Here at PN, we’re wondering about our own resistance to the new digital overlords.

You may be surprised to hear that AI played a big role at the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) conference that was taking place in Gothenburg, Sweden, as we…

1 October 2023Feature

A brief look at the life of the legendary US activist

‘Before reading this book, I knew and greatly admired Dave Dellinger. Or so I thought. After reading his remarkable story, my admiration changed to something more like awe. There can be few people in the world who have crafted their lives into something truly inspiring. This autobiography introduces us to one of them, with the simplicity and integrity that characterizes everything Dave has done.’ –Noam Chomsky, praising Dellinger’s autobiography, From Yale to Jail: The Life Story of a…

1 October 2023Feature

More thoughts from legendary US activist Dave Dellinger

Introducing ‘Declaration of War’ in his 1970 book Revolutionary Nonviolence, Dave Dellinger commented that two years in a maximum security prison during the Second World War had changed his mind about violence against property (while leaving him still firmly opposed to violence against people).

Dellinger wrote: ‘In a society which exalts property rights above human rights, it is sometimes necessary to damage or destroy property, both because property has no intrinsic value…

1 October 2023Feature

Week of action called for 4 – 10 December

More than 30 organisations across Europe have called for a week of action leading up to 10 December, International Human Rights Day, pressing for protection for all those who refuse military service in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

The #ObjectWarCampaign coalition, which includes Connection eV (International Support of Conscientious Objectors and Deserters), the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and War Resisters International, is urging the European Union to open its…