Jonathan Hall KC wrote in Saturday’s Observer to support the ban on Palestine Action as terrorists that he participated in reaching. “Well he would, wouldn’t he?”
Jonathan Hall KC, the UK’s so-called “Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation” wrote an opinion piece in Saturday’s Observer defending the Starmer regime’s decision to ‘proscribe’ – ban as a terrorist organisation – the non-violent direct action group ‘Palestine Action’ (PA).
Despite leaked evidence proving ten days earlier that a key inter-departmental intelligence committee had told the government it found no grounds to consider PA terrorists, Hall wrote as if it was obvious that PA is indeed a terrorist group, opening his piece with the claim that:
When organisations are proscribed, we can’t privilege one kind of terrorism over another
and going on to state as fact that it uses “terrorist methodology”.
His stance is probably unsurprising, given that – as writer and former ambassador Craig Murray has pointed out – Hall was on the government committee that approved the proscription of PA.
But Hall left some key facts out of his Observer article. His father-in-law is a Patron of the Israel lobby group “UK Lawyers for Israel” (UKLFI), an organisation described by human rights group CAGE as a key UK “Apartheid apologist”. UKLFI caused widespread outrage recently when its CEO criticised medical experts for not concluding that Israel’s blockade of food into Gaza was helping reduce Palestinian obesity. The group is also notorious for using its ‘lawfare’ approach to intimidate a hospital into taking down art by Palestinian children and trying unsuccessfully to have a Palestinian doctor struck off from the UK General Medical Council, while its chief spokeswoman was slammed by a Jewish interlocutor for claiming that discussing Israel’s genocide and starvation blockade are “blood libels” and “propaganda”.
UKLFI is currently under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for alleged “vexatious and baseless” legal threats to silence support for Palestine.
Now it’s possible that Hall is not in agreement with his father-in-law, of course, though his stance on PA’s proscription suggests they’re not in particular disagreement – but it is certainly a potential conflict of interest that many might consider merited a mention in his article, not to mention self-recusal from any committee deciding whether to label a group trying to hinder the delivery of weapons to the genocidal coloniser state. But that’s not all that was omitted from the Observer piece.
Hall also didn’t mention that he:
• has visited Israeli “counter-terrorism” bodies
• spends family holidays in Israel
• and, in the words of Murray, “indulges vigilante fantasies by guarding his local synagogue against non-existent attacks”
No, none of that got a mention as he used his position of privilege to compare PA with “Republican and Loyalist terrorist groups in Northern Ireland” and claimed that allowing protests against the proscription of a peaceful anti-genocide direct action group would be “unprecedented”:
because if the law were changed it would leave Islamic State supporters free to hoist their black flags on UK high streets..
Or, a finely-honed legal mind might think, if the law were in danger of changing it might deter governments from including inconvenient, non-violent in the proscription list in the first place – a move that has been widely condemned by international legal and human rights experts as incompatible with Britain’s obligations under international law.
Hall rounds off his argument by claiming that PA:
should [not] be given special treatment compared with other terrorist groups… The home secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was clearly intended to dismantle an organisation of serious saboteurs who have given up on parliamentary democracy. Given the alleged nature and scale of their activities, I think proscription was novel but acceptable.
…I remain unconvinced the proscription of Palestine Action prevents or chills the expression of support for Palestine.
Hall apparently either hasn’t read or is choosing to ignore the fact that various police forces have not only been targeting people holding placards supporting PA, but have been using the proscription of PA as an excuse to harass and even arrest people holding any expression of support for the Palestinian people and their freedom or condemning Israel’s genocide – and have said that they will continue to do so despite a High Court judge ruling twice that there are no legal grounds for doing so.
Famously, when in the 1960s government Cabinet member John Profumo denied having an affair with Mandy Rice-Davies, she responded, “Well he would, wouldn’t he?” The same might be said to apply in the case of Mr Hall KC’s support for the proscription of PA that he was personally involved in reaching.
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The usual modus operandi of people who don’t have a clue what they’re doing. Avoid the argument and railroad through what they think is the best course of action, whether it is, or not.
Not exactly – authoritarian – simply, the actions of a bunch of control freaks.
The Electorate, really, should be more careful who they’re voting for, otherwise, this is what we end up with.
Stop taking your guidance from the billionaire owned MSM. They are – not – on your side!
Egg on his Face for Christmas…
“Not exactly authoritarian….”, more appropriately sycophantic and ambitious to show tptb (i.e. Yvette Cooper and Sir Keir SLAPPer Starmer) that he’ll do EXACTLY what is expected of him.
Cooper’s completely non-evidenced charges (‘accusations’ really) against Palestine Action (PA) and her heavy-handed evidence-free proscription of it was justified by Hall’s colourful mood music in his Observer article: he said the proscription was intended to dismantle an organisation of “serious saboteurs who have given up on parliamentary democracy” and warning that unless the Lady Cooper’s vehement proscription was enforced meticulously organisations like the Islamic State would become mainstream and popular. (An aside – isn’t that line of argument and example pure ‘Israel lobby’ in style?)
Someone should warn J Hall KC that once the UK High Court issues its review of Cooper’s heavy-handed and contentious proscription of PA and NECESSARILY reverses it in November 2025, his Observer article will make him look far from “Independent” and nothing more than a brown-nose.
Christmas? Yeah, by December25 the UK High Court’s judgement on Cooper’s hideous anti-Palestine proscription of PA will be ‘old-hat’ and one of the MANY reasons why the UK desperately needs a General Election ASAP.
“Direct Action” is terrorism, even when no human is targeted (unlike in Gaza then, where babies and very young children ARE targeted).
OK, then.
I was watching a video from an Australian politician yesterday. Apparently, if you as a politician, suggest that Israel might not be a shining example of righteousness, morality, or decency, then you’ll find an Israeli-backed (funded) opponent standing against you. So that’s Australia, America (AIPAC), and the UK that are under their mafia-style control. I wonder how many other countries? As they were determined to have regime change in all the states surrounding them, including Iraq, and Iran, by military intervention, then who are the terrorists, using terrorism (violence against humans)? Is it anyone who stands up to Israel, or is it indeed the entire state of Israel that is using terror tactics, aided by Israeli funded politicians in Australia, the UK, and the USA. When a UK politician emerged who they couldn’t bribe, then we saw what happened, and how many folk took the bait.
exactly why Your Party is happening at EXACTLY the right time….. great post and reasoning winteringham.
Meanwhile, the lawfare in the USA extends even to senior NCO members of the military being designated as a threat to national security for not supporting Israel.
Here’s 20-year military veteran US Army Sergeant First Class E7 SFC Jonathan Estridge:
Perhaps such experts could tell us how many people were harmed or killed by PA’s direct action in the UK, is it NIL?
And how many Palestinians were killed by the IDF with the help of UK arms sales, spy planes, by allowing Israel to manufacture arms parts in the UK, and by the UK trading with this Genocide perpetrator, is it 400,000 (The Lancet) ?
I wonder if our terrorism Czar will suggest that Israel is a terrorist state for today’s attack on the Nasser Hospital? Furthermore that attack used the well-worn path of a strike … then allow time for rescuers to get in … and then second strike, so that humans with human-instincts suffer death in the second strike. These are the atrocities carried out by ACTUAL terrorists. Dr Maynard, who was there recently training young colleagues, was interviewed by the BBC 12 o’clock news, and gave the BBC both barrels for giving equal credence to the IDF as it had to reports from the hospital. He really put the interviewer on the back foot for the BBC’s acquiescence to the Israelis. When the interviewer asked about Hamas being based in hospitals, he stated that he had been there, and neither he nor any of his colleagues had EVER seen any evidence of Hamas being in any hospitals. But baby formula – which he and his colleagues frequently put in their luggage as there is NONE in Gaza, is always removed from luggage by Israeli border guards. What kind of person would remove baby formula from luggage? WHY would they do it? If YOU were in that situation and ordered to do it … would you be evil enough to do so, even if it was against orders?
NEVER forget, NEVER forgive. NEVER believe the BBC. There are inklings that after two years the Guardian is beginning to see the error of their ways in unthinking obedience to the Israeli line. What a shame they didn’t take notice when I and others pointed this out to them, almost two years ago!
I shall now await our Israeli sponsored and controlled PM and our Israeli sponsored and controlled Foreign Secretary to take decisive action against Israel, and stop arms sales to them so that they can kill more seriously injured and starved hospital patients. I may be waiting some time……
On the subject of the Skwawkbox article, WHY are so many of a certain ethnicity appointed to such posts. None of them seem capable or interested in doing the job as per job description. Their support for people with similar background appears to override all other issues – the issues they get OUR money to address!
I appointed and employed many people. I NEVER knew (or asked for) their religious affiliations/none, nor their ethnic background. I don’t recall any of them telling me either, and it wouldn’t have had any bearing on anything at all.
“Normal person: Genocide is bad
Crazy person: Woah hey, let’s not get political
Normal person: Oh no those people over there are committing genocide!
Crazy person: Okay but what religion are they?”
– Caitlin Johnson
One of the 532 people arrested on the Palestine protest was wearing a “Plasticine Action” and inside the letter “o” was an image of the stop-motion character Morph giving two thumbs up. This was all for medical aid for Palestinians, He had been arrested under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which makes it an offence to wear anything supporting a proscribed organisation. A senior officer asked the arresting officer if he could arrest Pickering under section 12, which could have brought a more serious charge of supporting a proscribed group.
“[The arresting officer] said: ‘No, I can’t.’ And they said: ‘Why not?’ He said: ‘Because he hasn’t got Palestine Action written on him. He’s got Plasticine Action written on him.’” He was then freed, He said he expected there to be a number of people wearing the shirts on 6 September at the next organised protest against the ban on Palestine Action, and that he had been advised by the police that it could still be an arrestable offence. I wonder what would happen if two protestors wore T shirts one with only ‘Palestine’ on it and another with ‘Action’ on it, and occasionally came together. Maybe conspiracy to commit a terrorist offence. You could not make this up. Morph is a plasticine action man and could still be an arrestable offence
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/18/protester-arrested-wearing-plasticine-action-t-shirt-palestine-gaza-protest
Off-topic and apropos of nothing…
‘Murrica.
https://www.thepoke.com/2025/06/19/23-of-the-funniest-and-most-totally-on-point-snapshots-of-american-life-from-wow-that-is-violently-american-on-facebook/
Off topic but are claims in areas where St George flags are popping up & on road roundabouts too, house sales are falling through as people fear living in an area with “Anti-social behaviour.”
Some argue this flag posting is being pushed by the Far Right.
Socialists don’t have to desperately cling to the St George Flag (he was half Palestinian/Turkish & never came to the UK) to love the UK and its diverse citizens, its culture, music, countryside & comedy plus pubs, cafes & restaurants etc etc.
We just want to make it a better place by ending poverty, homelessness, and by giving everyone enough to live on, to have interesting well paid jobs, by ending racism & promoting equality & offering critical thinking throughout all educational stages (sorely lacked by some who are sadly so easily played by the Right, Media & Far Right) and build the council homes desperately needed WE WANT GOOD & DECENT HOMES FOR ALL whilst offering compassion to refugees.
And seriously addressing climate change.
And we would stop sending diverse working class people in the military off to fight wars for the profits of the rich & big business.
And we will build peace & co-operation with ALL countries.
We diverse w class people don’t have anything against diverse w class people in other countries, we all have to sell our
Labour to live & we just want to get by plus enjoy life & and have a laugh.
In short we will make the UK a civilised country with values we can all be proud of.❤️☮️⚖️ Your Party!
Yes. as a youngster I would ask my parents why we didn’t have the obsession other countries seemed to have about flags. Their answer was that we didn’t need such symbolism. That all seemed to change with Johnson and Starmer. Now if they ever appear on a lectern, along with meaningless motto-of-the-day, with fewer than three union jacks, they think they are undressed. Having pushed the importance of being seen with a flag, others have followed suit … and we are where they took us.
Anyway has Starmer or Lammy declared how really naughty the IDF was for targetting hospitals, medics and (cruelly) rescuers? I’m guessing not. Now … or ever.
Give it a while longer, winteringham, and the Zionist lobby will be mardy arsing about the inherent anti-Semitism of the Israeli flag not being given prominence at these gatherings.