Over a dozen people in the U.K., all either journalists or activists, have been arrested under the counterterrorism law over the past few weeks. Section 12 of the Terrorism Act (2000) criminalizes opinion and can lead to a sentence of up to 14 years in prison under the pretext of supporting a “proscribed” organization, which includes Hamas and virtually any support for Palestinians.
The National Union of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists in the U.K. have written a joint letter to the U.K. Head of Counter Terrorism expressing their profound concerns over the recent detentions of British journalists for their reporting of the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Last Thursday, Sept. 5, the home of 61-year-old Sarah Wilkinson was stormed in a dawn raid by 16 officers, many in plain clothes and balaclavas. She was restrained and moved to a waiting van before being taken to a local police station, where she was held and questioned under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act. Her home was raided and her electronics were seized as well as her passport. She was released on bail, but part of the bail conditions require that she turn over her passport (which had been seized) within 7 days. She expects to be recharged for failing to turn it in on Wednesday.
On Aug. 22, accredited independent reporter Richard Medhurst was flying to London Heathrow when his plane was diverted, so he could be arrested by six armed police officers before it reached the airport terminal. He was held under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act and placed in restraints. His belongings were searched after arresting officers told him he “had expressed an opinion or belief that was supportive of a proscribed organization.”
On Oct. 16, 2023, counterterror police detained the journalist, human rights campaigner and former British diplomat Craig Murray at Glasgow Airport after he attended a Palestine solidarity event, seizing his phone and laptop.
Murray today issued a tweet reporting that he had left the U.K. and was in Greece. Murray wrote: “The break in communication was because I am now safely back in Greece. The sky is darkening for dissidents in the U.K. I have not left permanently, but so many people linked to me have been arrested this last few weeks, I fancy a change of climate for a little while.”
