Scottish PEN is very gravely concerned by the recent arrest and charges under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act of its vice-president, Lizzie Eldridge, for taking part in a silent protest against the proscription of Palestine Action in Edinburgh on September 6th (see attached photo). even though no arrests were made at the time. It […]
October 3, 2025Scottish PEN is very gravely concerned by the recent arrest and charges under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act of its vice-president, Lizzie Eldridge, for taking part in a silent protest against the proscription of Palestine Action in Edinburgh on September 6th (see attached photo). even though no arrests were made at the time.
It is reported that these charges concern wearing a t-shirt that has been alleged to indicate support for Palestine Action, a protest group proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK Government in July. When that proscription was first proposed, Scottish PEN joined PEN International, English PEN and Wales PEN Cymru in calling on the UK Government to refrain from proscribing Palestine Action and to ensure that counter-terrorism laws are not misused to suppress legitimate expression or protest. We also urged the UK Parliament to scrutinise the broader implications of the proscription action for the rule of law in the UK.
Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that the proscription of Palestine Action put the UK at odds with international law, and the Scottish Human Rights Commission warned that policing of protests against the genocide in Gaza risked
infringing on people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly. The validity of our concerns and those of the PEN International movement, the High Commissioner and the SHRC have been confirmed once again.
According to the United Nations, the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since the start of the Gaza genocide stood at 242 by 11 August 2025, more than the number in both world wars, Vietnam, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan combined. If more people in power had spoken out against the attacks on the people of Gaza, and the suppression of freedom of expression in Gaza, during recent years – as encouraged by a series of public statements by Scottish PEN and human rights organisations in Scotland and around the world – maybe the ongoing genocide could have been avoided, and the citizens of the United Kingdom would not be subject to arrest for standing for peace and freedom of expression.
Scottish PEN gives its full support to Lizzie Eldridge and the other writers and citizens who would exercise their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, in accordance with the PEN International Charter. Not least, we reiterate yet again our belief that the necessary advance of the world towards a more highly organized political and economic order renders a free criticism of governments, administrations and institutions imperative. We once again call on the UK Government to reconsider its proscription of Palestine Action, and we also call on all authorities in Scotland to respect the legitimate right of people in our nation to protest in support of the ideal of one humanity living in peace in one world.
The events giving rise to issuance of this statement were reported in The National newspaper.