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MP Dáire Hughes has welcomed today's High Court ruling that the ban on Palestine Action is unlawful, saying it vindicates the stance taken by activists.
Mr Hughes said the ruling was hugely significant and called on the British government to lift the ban without delay and bring its crackdown on Palestine solidarity activists to an immediate end.
"Today's ruling is hugely significant. It vindicates the position of thousands of activists, including the brave hunger strikers, that highlighting genocide is not a crime," said Mr Hughes. "The state suppression of the Palestinian solidarity movement has failed in its attempt to silence those exposing Israeli war crimes, which have been aided and abetted by Britain."
Mr Hughes said the British government should now quash the convictions and end the prosecutions of those brought before the courts under what he described as "outrageous, draconian and now deemed unlawful legislation".
"Instead of considering an appeal, the British government must now lift the ban on Palestine Action without delay and bring its anti-democratic crackdown on Palestine solidarity activists to an immediate end," he said.
The Newry and Armagh MP said the ruling was a positive day for decency and humanity, adding that people must continue speaking up for the besieged people of Gaza and never allow any world power to undermine this basic right.
"The British government should now fundamentally change its position towards the rights of the Palestinian people, end its complicity in the illegal occupation of Palestine, the ongoing genocide and annexation, and get on the right side of global morality and international law," he said.
