UK minister accused of 'baiting' Zack Polanski into committing terror offence
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Imran Mulla
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Wed, 06/17/2026 - 09:28
Labour MP Mike Tapp asked the Green Party leader if he supported Palestine Action. Answering yes could land you in prison for 14 years
Green Party leader Zack Polanski listens as incoming Green Party MP for the Gorton and Denton constituency, Hannah Spencer, speaks at a press conference in Manchester on 27 February (AFP)
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A British government minister has been accused of trying to bait Green Party leader Zack Polanski into committing a terrorism offence by asking him whether he supports the direct action group Palestine Action.
Last year, the Labour government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
Accordingly, inviting support for a terrorist organisation is an offence punishable by a prison sentence of up to 14 years under British law.
On Monday, the UK's Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling and found the government’s ban on Palestine Action to be lawful.
In response, Green leader Polanski wrote on X: "This Governments branding of protest as 'terrorism' has seen grandparents arrested and dragged through the courts simply for holding up signs.
"It's deeply authoritarian when people are speaking out against a genocide and for a free Palestine."
Mike Tapp, a Labour MP and the under-secretary of state for migration and citizenship, responded: "Do you support the Palestine Action group?"
Do you support the Palestine Action group?
— Mike Tapp MP (@MikeTappTweets) June 15, 2026
Polanski responded: "The fact that your government has made it illegal for me to answer yes is a damning testament to your flagrant disregard for civil liberties.
"This may be targeted at those taking action against the genocide, but it sets a very dangerous precedent that puts everyone at risk."
'Unhinged law'
Criticism of Tapp's question poured in online. Prominent journalist and commentator Owen Jones remarked: "The more I think about this, the more shocking it gets.
"A government minister asked a political opponent a question, knowing that if he answered "yes", he would be arrested and potentially imprisoned.
"That's thanks to his government's unhinged law."
Alonso Gurmendi Dunkelberg, a researcher at the London School of Economics, said: "For some people, answering this question will be a crime punishable with 14 years in jail. Whether you agree or disagree, think about that for a second."
Many people accused Tapp of trying to goad Polanski into giving an incriminating answer.
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"A government minister publicly baiting an opposition leader about having him arrested is crazy stuff," one X user remarked.
In February, the High Court found that then Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group was "unlawful" and "discriminatory", following a challenge brought by the group's co-founder Huda Ammori.
But following a government appeal, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's decision on Monday.
The judges ruled that the government's move to ban the group "struck a fair balance" between the individual's rights to speech and freedom of assembly and the interests of "national security".
But they also noted the ban's potential "chilling effect" on people expressing opposition to the actions of Israel in Gaza.
Since the ban was introduced, thousands of people have been arrested for terrorism offences for holding signs in support for the group in silent vigils across the UK.
According to the campaign group Defend Our Juries, around 700 people have been arrested for displaying signs reading "I opposed genocide, I support Palestine Action" since the ban was deemed to be unlawful.
Some 3,400 people had been arrested by the time of the High Court ruling.
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