UK MPs vote to proscribe Palestine Action as terrorist group

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MPs have voted to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation despite concerns that the move could risk criminalising legitimate protest.The draft order to amend the Terrorism Act 2000 and proscribe the group, laid by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, passed the Commons on Wednesday by 385 votes to 26.The order also bans two neo-Nazi groups, the Maniacs Murder Cult (MMC) and the Russia Imperial Movement (RIM).Outlining the government’s case to MPs, the Home Office minister Dan Jarvis said: “By implementing this measure, we will remove Palestine Action’s veil of legitimacy, tackle its financial support and degrade its efforts to recruit and radicalise people into committing terrorist activity in its name.“But we must be under no illusion.

Palestine Action is not a legitimate protest group.People engaged in lawful protests don’t need weapons.People engaged in lawful protests do not throw smoke bombs and fire pyrotechnics around innocent members of the public.And people engaged in lawful protests do not cause millions of pounds of damage to national security infrastructure, including submarines and defensive equipment for Nato.“Proscribing Palestine Action will not impinge on people’s right to protest.

Those who wish to protest or express support for Palestine have always been able to and can continue to do so.”But Jarvis faced a backlash from some MPs who described the move as a “draconian overreach” and likened the group to the Suffragettes.It will become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison for anyone to become a member of and support the direct action of Palestine Action.The independent MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, said the move “lumps a non-violent network of students, nurses, teachers, firefighters and peace campaigners – ordinary people, my constituents and yours – with neo-Nazi militias and mass-casualty cults”.She said the group had thrown “red paint not fire on aircraft linked to surveillance flights over Gaza”.

“Instead of prosecuting them for criminal damage, which is what normally is done, the home secretary is using the Terrorism Act to proscribe them as a terrorist group.This is an unprecedented and dangerous overreach of the state,” she said.Some MPs and human rights organisations critical of the government’s position suggested that bundling Palestine Action with the white supremacist groups had put political pressure on MPs to back the measure.Jarvis rejected claims that the government was rushing through the legislation and insisted “there is no political convenience” to the government’s plans.“What we are seeking to do today is ensure the security of our country,” he told the Commons.

After the vote, a Palestine Action spokesperson said: “We are confident that this unlawful order will be overturned.As United Nations experts have made clear, spraying red paint and disrupting the British-based operations of Israel’s largest weapons firm, Elbit Systems, is not terrorism.“The terrorism and war crimes are being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people – armed and enabled by this government.”Four people were arrested, including “a man who blocked the gates of Downing Street with his mobility scooter”, at a protest in Westminster on Wednesday evening, the Metropolitan police said.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionA spokesperson said: “Officers have made four arrests in the vicinity of the Palestine Action protest taking place in Westminster this evening.

“Public Order Act conditions had been imposed to prevent serious disruption, requiring anyone taking part in the protest to assemble on Richmond Terrace, off Whitehall,”Palestine Action is seeking a legal challenge against the government’s move to proscribe it,A hearing is expected on Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily blocked, pending further proceedings to decide whether a legal challenge can be brought,On Tuesday the lawyers group Network for Police Monitoring and the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers had warned the home secretary in two separate letters that proscribing Palestine Action would conflate protest and terrorism,The letters collectively were signed by hundreds of lawyers and by UN experts.

Several UN special rapporteurs said they had contacted the UK government to say that “acts of protest that damage property, but are not intended to kill or injure people, should not be treated as terrorism”.The proscription order will go to the House of Lords and final approval is expected within days.Yasmine Ahmed, the UK director of Human Rights Watch, said: “The use of counter-terrorism legislation to proscribe Palestine Action is a grave abuse of state power and a terrifying escalation in this government’s crusade to curtail protest rights.The idea that a non-violent protest group could be classed in the same category as Islamic State or al-Qaida is utterly preposterous and sets an incredibly dangerous precedent.“Politicians should not be wielding the power of the state to protect corporate interests and silence legitimate non-violent protest.

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Frittata, ‘egg and chips’ and a bean feast: Sami Tamimi’s brunch recipes from Palestine

What better way to welcome the weekend than with the smell and sound of herb-loaded ijeh frying? This is a thick, delicious frittata-like mixture of courgettes, leeks, peas, herbs and eggs, and in Palestine it’s often made with finely chopped onions, too. I always keep a couple of tins of ful (fava beans) in my pantry for those times when I crave a quick and satisfying late breakfast or weekend lunch. When simple toast and butter won’t do the trick and I’m in need of something more substantial and savoury, that’s when fava beans come to the rescue.You can substitute the eggs with feta for an extra-creamy and salty touch. Alternatively, the dish works beautifully as a vegan dish without the eggs

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Jam tarts and summer pudding cake: Nicola Lamb’s recipes for baking with mixed berries

First up, a crostata-inspired jam tart that’s perfect for afternoon tea or nibbling throughout the day. Fennel seeds in the buttery pastry give a subtle flavour surprise, although you could omit them, or try coriander seeds or ginger instead. A small batch of jam is surprisingly quick to make, but you can, of course, use shop-bought, or make use of one of those jars living rent-free in your cupboard. Then, a summer pudding-inspired cake that makes a delightful centrepiece – the juices from the berries absorb into the top third of the sponge, giving it a gorgeous, ombre tone that looks as beautiful as it tastes.Use a mixture of whatever berries are plentiful; frozen will work well, too

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Georgina Hayden’s recipe for spiced crab egg fried rice

Crab deserves to be celebrated, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a super-fancy, laborious meal. Crab midweek? Yes, please, and fried rice is my fallback whenever I am in a dinner pickle. That’s not to belittle its deliciousness, complexity or elegance, though, because this spiced crab version can be as fancy as you like. That said, the speed and ease with which I can create a meal that I know everyone will love is the winning factor. Plus, I often have leftover cooked, chilled rice in the fridge, anyway, which is always the clincher (cooked rice has a better texture for frying once chilled)

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Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for courgette linguine with trout, lemon and dill | Quick and easy

This is such a lovely, summery dish: it takes under 30 minutes from start to finish, and I found it immensely reviving after a long day. The grated courgette melts into the pasta, and works perfectly with the lemon, trout and a hit of chilli. If you have one of those multi-nut and seed mixes (the M&S 35-plant one is excellent), by all means add a scoop to finish; otherwise, a scattering of toasted pine nuts will add a welcome crunch. An elegant dinner for two.Prep 10 min Cook 20 min Serves 22 trout fillets 2½ tbsp olive oilSea saltJuice and finely grated zest of ½ lemon, plus 2 lemon slices180g linguine 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated1 tsp chilli flakes1 large courgette, trimmed and coarsely grated10g fresh dill, roughly chopped 4 tbsp pine nuts, or 4 tbsp omega nut and seed mixHeat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6

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Bangkok Diners Club, Manchester M4: ‘This will soon be one of Manchester’s hottest dining tickets’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Bangkok Diners Club feels a bit as if it’s tucked down a humid Rattanakosin sidestreet in the Thai capital’s old town, rather than in a room above a pub 6,000 miles away in Ancoats, Manchester. Husband-and-wife team Ben and Bo Humphreys have brought their joint skills to the Edinburgh Castle, an elegantly restored 19th-century pub with an upstairs restaurant that in recent years has made quite a name for itself; before the Humphreys’ arrival, this same space was the lair of Winsome’s Shaun Moffat, where plaudits and gongs were in ready supply, but then Moffat got his hands on his own place and this upstairs room needed a pair of cool, capable hands to take over.Look no further than Ben and Bo, who have a pedigree in forward-thinking Thai cuisine. Bo was born and raised in Thailand’s north-eastern Isaan region, before moving to Bangkok in her teens, while Ben has cooked at Manchester’s Thai fusion restaurant District and, before that, at Tattu, Rabbit in the Moon and Lucky Cat. After the closure of District in 2022, the couple spent three years eating their way across Thailand and the US, picking up inspiration for dishes in which authentic Thai flavours, and occasionally Bo’s family-favourite recipes, could merge with the Korean and Mexican barbecue flavours of Miami smokehouses

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How to make coffee and walnut cake – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Today is my birthday, so I’m celebrating with a classic that, for all the sticky tres leches and sophisticated sachertortes I’ve enjoyed in recent years, remains my absolute favourite, my desert island cake: that darling of the WI tea tent, the coffee and walnut sandwich. The great Nigel Slater once named it his last meal on Earth, and I’m hoping to have it for tea.Prep 30 min Cook 25 min Serves 8225g room-temperature butter 4 tbsp instant coffee (see step 1)100g walnut halves 4 eggs 225g soft light brown sugar 225g plain flour 3 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp fine salt Milk (optional)For the icing165g room-temperature butter425g icing sugar ¼ tsp salt 4 tbsp double cream (optional)If you’ve forgotten to get your butter out of the fridge, begin by dicing and spacing it out on the paper to soften (remember, you’ll need some for the icing, too).Mix the coffee with two tablespoons of boiling water and leave to cool – I like the nostalgic flavour of instant coffee here, but you can substitute three tablespoons of espresso or other strong coffee, if you prefer.Toast the walnut halves in a dry pan until they smell nutty, then set aside a quarter of the most handsome-looking ones to use as decoration later