Ken Loach joins protest against UK’s ‘terrorist’ designation of Palestine Action

Legendary film director Ken Loach has joined demonstrations in Edinburgh to protest the UK government’s decision to proscribe the organization Palestine Action as a “terrorist” group.

The two-time Palme d’Or-winning British director described the decision as a “legal monstrosity.”

Speaking to the press after joining activists from the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), Loach stated that the Labour government is “violating international law” by failing to take steps to prevent the genocide being committed by Israel.

Activists, including Loach’s long-time screenwriting partner Paul Laverty, wore T-shirts with the slogan, “There is genocide in Palestine, it is time to act.”

These same T-shirts led to a man in Glasgow being charged under “terror” laws in July, and similar charges are being brought against others.

“I support everything written on the T-shirts, and I am proud to be with them. I think they are very brave,” Loach said.

When asked why he joined the protest, the director responded: “We know about the genocide being committed against Palestinians in Gaza, and now it continues in the West Bank, committed by Israel with our government’s complicity through its inaction. They are required to act. Under the Genocide Convention, they have a legal responsibility to prevent genocide, but they are not doing it. They are violating international law. The proscription of Palestine Action is meant to intimidate anyone who opposes them. Banning Palestine Action is a legal monstrosity, and we must oppose it.”

When asked if he was concerned about facing terror charges for supporting a group proscribed by law enforcement, Loach replied, “No, there are thousands of people doing the same thing.”

Aware of the charges filed against others for wearing the T-shirts, Loach said he considers the police’s actions “unlawful.”

“I am not a lawyer,” the director stated. “But preventing the production or use of weapons of war is not terrorism; it is anti-terrorism. It is fighting state-sponsored terror, which is what this government is complicit in. This government still supplies weapons to Israel. It trades with Israel. It provides all kinds of moral support to Israel.”

Recalling that Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared himself a “Zionist,” Loach remarked, “The ideology on which Israel is based is that there should be a Jewish state in Palestine. What does this mean? It means prioritizing one ethnic group over another, and for me, that is racism.”

Loach also argued that they are governed by politicians “with no respect for international law, with no moral values,” and that the public “must stand up” against them.

Laverty added, “I think our politicians have failed us. They are clearly violating their clear obligations under Article III of the Genocide Convention, which include preventing, punishing, and not being complicit in genocide. Despite this, I generally think these institutions are not doing enough… As Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has pointed out, our universities, especially Edinburgh, are collaborating with an apartheid state.”

Irish author Sally Rooney has also opposed the ban on Palestine Action, stating that she would use her income from the BBC to support the group.