Edinburgh council drops Palestine Action debate amid fears councillors could be arrested
A motion about Palestine Action was withdrawn from a meeting of Edinburgh council amid fears councillors could be arrested for debating it.
The motion, tabled by Green councillor Claire Miller, called for the de-proscription of Palestine Action, and requested that ministers meet with families and legal representatives of prisoners who have been on hunger strike.
But at the start of full council on Thursday, Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said late legal advice had been received and he adjourned the meeting for more than an hour so it could be considered.
Council leader Jane Meagher said the matter was very serious and some people could be at risk of losing their jobs.
One source said: "If you show any support or sympathy for a proscribed organisation you are at risk of falling foul of the laws of the land.If you call for the proscription to be reversed, arguably you are showing support for that organisation.
"It's individual liability - if you stood up in council and spoke in favour of the motion, that could be breaking the law.
"There was a suggestion they could deal with it formally - just voting on it, without debate - but the concern was even by voting for it you could potentially put yourself at risk of prosecution."
Another source said some councillors had talked of walking out of the meeting to avoid the risk.
"One idea was to move 'no action'. But even if you get up and say the words 'no action' and someone seconds it, you are seen to be engaging in discussing a motion about Palestine Action which is proscribed."
When the meeting resumed, Green councillor Chas Booth read a statement: "Reluctantly, our group has made the decision to withdraw the motion. We understand from advice that the motion is competent as redrafted and we have been advised the risk of considering the motion is very low.
"But we appreciate there are individual councillors in other parties who are uncomfortable with the situation because of the potential risks and we feel a duty of care towards our colleagues.
"We regret that the council is facing this situation and we remain concerned about the impact on democracy and freedom of speech."
The Lord Provost thanked Cllr Booth for "the flexibility your group has shown in managing this matter".
Green councillor Alys Mumford later said the motion had been prompted by the hunger strikers.
She said: "We’ve already seen countless protestors criminalised and arrested for peacefully holding pieces of paper, and now elected members of Scotland’s capital city are prevented from even discussing a motion highlighting important issues of human rights.
"For councillors to be unable to discuss whether or not we agree with the UK Government is antithetical to everything we are supposed to uphold as a nation of free speech and democracy.”