Activists are being charged under terrorism laws for the first time in Britain
The independent:
“On Monday a group of fifteen people will appear in court in Chelmsford, charged with terrorism offences. Their crime? Blocking the take-off of a plane deporting people from Britain against their will. The maximum sentence? Life in prison.
[..] Just last year the Supreme Court found that the “deport first, appeal later” policy was unlawful. The personal stories of those facing deportation, meanwhile, are shocking. Many are sent to countries where they have no family – sometimes after many years building a life in Britain, torn apart from close family here. Others are LGBT+ people who face persecution in the country they are being sent to.
[..] In this context, it is easy to see why people are protesting against mass deportation – from writing to their MPs, to protesting outside the Home Office and, yes, taking direct action. People took to the tarmac and blocked a plane leaving Stansted in March last year because they felt they had no other route to stop this injustice. The action took place on a parking bay far away from the main runways and people going on holiday, with the activists dressed in bright pink, to ensure that they were visible.
[..] the threat of jail for those who peacefully put their bodies on the line to stop the forced removal of people from Britain is a profound overreaction that should be reviewed immediately.”
QueerAnarchism 