Civil Disobedience

One may well ask: „How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?“ The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that „an unjust law is no law at all.“

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Plan

We will not comply with this unjust law. Many people from celebrities, to artists, to writers, to journalists to activists are intending to break this unjust law. We will do it together. Unjust laws are no laws at all. Mass lawbreaking is the heart of classical civil disobedience. The law you disagree with, you break en-masse.

The most effective, powerful and damaging to the state is mass civil disobedience all together in one place. This has power both visually, from a media perspective and also from a problem for the state. Arresting a mass of people together under terrorism laws will be tricky for them. Equally ignoring them and allowing them to flagrantly flout the law in public is equally undesirable for the state.

There are two different levels of risk.

In a public place, wear an item of clothing or item that „would arouse reasonable suspicion that they are a member of a proscribed organisation“. This means wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt or jumper. Read the legal risks. This can only be tried in the magistrates court and comes with a maximum sentence of 6 months in prison, and the likely outcome if prosecuted would be far less (e.g. fines or conditional discharge).
Express your explicit support for Palestine Action. Read the legal risks. If this is tried in magistrates, the max sentences is the same as above. The risk here is if the case is moved to crown court the maximum jumps up to 14 years in prison.

Steps to take before you take action

Print off and bring a bust card with you. See bust cards on GBC‘s website.
Clear out tech (laptop, desktop, phone) from your home before taking action. This is to protect all of your friends and family as well as keeping your devices safe from the police
Bring some money (cash) and a book in case you are arrested.
Make sure someone is there to film what happens, and send it in to us.