• Asa Winstanley, a journalist for The Electronic Intifada, had his home raided by British counterterrorism forces, who seized his electronic devices.
• “The raid on Winstanley’s home is an unmistakable attempt to intimidate and silence him, as well as other journalists and activists,” Electronic Intifada said in a statement.
On Thursday, October 17, counterterrorism forces conducted a raid on Asa Winstanley’s London residence, confiscating electronic devices essential to his journalistic work. Although Winstanley was not arrested, his equipment was seized.
The operation was carried out under the 2006 Terrorism Act, which The Electronic Intifada editors described as a tool that can be easily exploited to stifle free speech.
Winstanley was informed that he was under investigation for “encouragement of terrorism.” Human Rights Watch has urged the British government to revoke certain provisions of the Terrorism Act (2006), noting that “the definition of the encouragement of terrorism offence is overly broad, raising serious concerns about undue infringement on free speech.”
The police linked the raid to content Winstanley had shared on social media.
Palestine Action, a group engaged in direct actions against companies such as Elbit Systems, which are complicit in Israeli military operations, has seen several of its activists detained under similar counterterrorism charges in recent months.
“The raid on Winstanley’s home is an unmistakable attempt to intimidate and silence him, as well as other journalists and activists,” The Electronic Intifada concluded.
Winstanley delivered the following message after the raid on his home:
In a message sent out today, he said:
"Thank you so much to everyone for the torrent of support and solidarity you've sent my way. Your messages of love and support have been very important to us in the context of an experience no one should have to go through. "I have dedicated my career to journalism and telling the truth but right now my priority is the protection of my sources. We are taking legal steps to ensure that happens. Journalism is not a crime."
Pro Palestinian activists including, Richard Medhurst, as well as Mick Napier, Tony Greenstein, and Sarah Wilkinson, have also been arrested recently.
It’s important to note, Britain designates Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations, making it illegal to support or promote them.
