After witnessing police officers disgrace themselves during the Palestine Action demonstration in London on Saturday, Roshan Muhammed Salih argues that officers should refuse to act as the enforcers of unjust laws and oppression.
What I witnessed with my own eyes in Parliament Square on Saturday was a black, shameful day for British policing.
The mass arrests of nearly 900 people – most of them elderly and many of them disabled or infirm – for the “heinous crime” of holding up a placard supporting Palestine Action. For the “terroristic act” of expressing an opinion according to their conscience and in solidarity with a people suffering genocide.
Our brave police arrested “dangerous” old aged pensioners all day long. Unceremoniously carting them off into police vans while being berated every step of the way by increasingly outraged bystanders who accused them of being stormtroopers for a fascist state.
I also noticed some Muslim officers among those enforcers too, including a hijabi. How they can live with themselves beats me.
Every one of those officers should have refused to follow orders because they are simply enforcing the unjust laws of a deeply authoritarian state which is aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide.
Damning picture of Britain
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There are clearly a huge amount of people in this country who believe the government’s decision to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation is a gross overreach, conflating principled dissent with the likes of Al Qaeda and ISIS.
This mischaracterisation not only undermines the concept of terrorism but also sets a dangerous precedent for stifling protest and free expression.
That’s why it is time for individual police officers to question the morality of enforcing this ban and, where necessary, refuse to comply with orders that violate justice and human rights.
Unlike organisations that plot violence and kill civilians, Palestine Action engages in direct action, targeting property associated with Israeli weapons manufacturers. These manufacturers supply arms to a state committing genocide in Gaza — a charge supported by international observers, human rights organisations and genocide experts.
While property damage is a crime under existing laws, labeling such actions as “terrorism” is a deliberate attempt to criminalise dissent and silence those who oppose British complicity in Israel’s actions.
The arrests in Parliament Square reveal the absurdity and cruelty of this approach. These are not terrorists; they are citizens acting on conscience, protesting what they see as an injustice of historic proportions.
The images of elderly protesters and disabled individuals being carted off in police vans have circulated globally, painting a damning picture of Britain as a state that prioritises control over freedom.
Police officers, as individuals with moral agency, must recognise the injustice of these actions.
The verbal abuse directed at officers during the demonstration and accusations of serving a “fascist state” reflects public outrage at their role in this crackdown. It stems from a deep sense of betrayal that the police, meant to protect the public, are instead silencing it.
Following orders blindly
The British state’s complicity in Israel’s actions — through arms sales, diplomatic support, and now the suppression of dissent — cannot go unanswered.
Individual police officers have a choice: they can follow orders blindly, or they can take a stand for what is right.
Arresting vulnerable individuals for holding placards or expressing solidarity is disproportionate and unnecessary.
History is replete with examples of law enforcement officers who, faced with unjust orders, chose conscience over compliance. During the civil rights movement in the United States, some officers refused to enforce segregation laws, recognising their moral bankruptcy.
Similarly, British police officers today must weigh the consequences of enforcing a ban that criminalises legitimate protest. The risks — potential job loss or disciplinary action — are real, but so too is the opportunity to restore dignity and honour.
There are other jobs, and there are higher callings than serving as the state’s blunt instrument against its own citizens.
Moreover, the practical fallout of these arrests suggests the ban is untenable. The police, already underfunded and overstretched, are wasting resources on mass detentions that are unlikely to lead to convictions.
Those who have been arrested are law-abiding citizens, not criminals, and the courts may well view these cases as an overreach. This farce burdens taxpayers and diverts police from addressing genuine threats.
For Muslim officers, the moral dilemma is particularly acute. Participating in operations that target pro-Palestine activists will go against their consciences and risks alienating them from their own communities. On the other hand, refusing to enforce the ban could be a powerful act of solidarity, signaling a commitment to justice over blind obedience.
I’m not a fan of the police as an organisation but I’m sure every individual police officer is not an evil, heartless person. But that’s what it seemed like in Parliament Square on Saturday.
So it’s time for police officers to simply refuse to perform evil actions even if that puts their jobs at risk. Frankly, there is more honour in virtually any other calling than what they did in Parliament Square.
