People Are Furious After Labour Branded Protest Group as Terrorists and the Comparisons Are Hitting Hard

Yvette Cooper and the Labour government are facing a growing wave of backlash after Palestine Action was officially labelled a terrorist organization, sparking outrage from campaigners, former MPs and even members of their own party.

The decision came earlier this month after MPs voted to proscribe the group, which has targeted sites linked to Israeli defense operations in the UK, including an arms manufacturer’s base and an RAF facility. But while the government insists the move is about national security, critics say it’s a serious attack on the right to protest — and a deeply worrying step for a government that came into power on promises of progressive change, reported Huffington Post.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas didn’t hold back during a party event this week, slamming Labour’s decision and suggesting it betrays core values around free speech and political activism. She said she was stunned by the move and made a pointed comparison that’s got people talking.

“I don’t think many of us expected Labour to proscribe Palestine Action,” she said. “Suffice to say that I am quite sure if Yvette Cooper was home secretary at the time the Suffragettes were active, they would have been labelled as terrorists and they would be banged up in prison for a lot longer than they were.”

Lucas, who served as Brighton Pavilion MP for 14 years before stepping down at the most recent election, said there’s now real concern that Labour has delivered far less than many hoped for. “There is a real concern now that a government that came into power promising so much has frankly delivered so little when it comes to people’s expectations,” she added.

The Suffragettes were of course the early 20th-century feminist movement that took bold and sometimes militant action to win women the right to vote — a movement that would likely have found itself in serious trouble under today’s laws, critics suggest.

Lucas isn’t the only one drawing those historical parallels. Labour peer and former cabinet minister Lord Hain shared his own frustration in the House of Lords recently, referencing his role in a direct action campaign that helped end apartheid-era sporting tours from South Africa.

“In 1969-70, I was proud to lead a militant campaign of direct action to disrupt all-white, racist South African rugby and cricket tours, and we successfully succeeded in getting them stopped for two decades,” he said. “No doubt, I would have been stigmatised as a terrorist today rather than vilified as I was then.”

He didn’t hold back in his criticism of the government’s approach either. “This government is treating Palestine Action as equivalent to Islamic State or al-Qaida, which is intellectually bankrupt, politically unprincipled and morally wrong. Frankly I am deeply ashamed.”

Despite the fierce criticism, the government has stood by its decision. Home Office minister Dan Jarvis defended the move in the Commons, claiming it’s about removing the group’s “veil of legitimacy” and cracking down on recruitment and funding.

But as the row grows louder, it’s clear the debate around protest, civil disobedience and government overreach is far from over.

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