Lift the Ban: Escalation video

This is one of a series of posts about my experience of the Defend our Juries (DoJ) 'Lift the Ban' campaign. See my Lift the Ban page for more.

WARNING - Replicating this video comes with significant risk of arrest under the UK Terrorism Act. Before doing so, you should read our Action Briefing Document IN FULL at www.defendourjuries.net/savinglives. An arrest under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act could mean house raids, tech stolen by police, and potentially up to fourteen years in prison. 

 The transcript of my contribution (five minutes into the video)

“One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will always have been against this.”

Hello my name is David and I’m a retired University Academic who used to teach the theory and methods of information technology and telecommunications

The other thing I’d like you to know about me is how incredibly law-abiding I was for the first 67 years of my life.

I once got a speeding fine because I didn’t notice the speed limit on a road in Bletchley, but that was about the limit of my law-breaking

So when I was arrested on the 9th August last year and locked in a police cell in Kentish Town it was surreal, and not a little frightening

So what changed?

What changed is that my government has been complicit in genocide.

Complicit in war crimes, in ethnic cleansing and in genocide

Those words that I read at the beginning of the video are on the cover of a book by the American journalist Omar Al Akkad and I’d like to read you something more from that book.

Quoting Palestinian Poet Rasha Abdulhadi he says:

“Wherever you are, whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, do it now. If it’s a handful, throw it. If it’s a fingernail full, scrape it out and throw. Get in the way however you can”

Palestine Action has been throwing sand into the gears of genocide and THAT is why I support them, and that is why I ask you to support them too.

Saving lives is not terrorism. I support Palestine Action and I urge you to do so too.