I’m no terrorist, says former magistrate facing six months in prison

You can listen to Jon Ungoed-Thomas’s interview with Deborah Hinton on the Daily Sensemaker podcast here.

Hinton is a former member of the national parole board, who was awarded an OBE in 1994 for services to the community. Her husband, Nicholas Hinton, who died in 1997, had been director general of Save the Children Fund and an international peacekeeper.

Hinton was among more than 100 people arrested that weekend for supporting Palestine Action, a group recently proscribed by the Labour government for being a terrorist organisation. It was the first time in her life that Hinton had been arrested.

“They’re not preventing terrorism any more by arresting me because I wasn’t a terrorist in the first place,” she said. “The rights to demonstrate and other rights are being eroded systematically by the government. We are on a slippery slope to all demonstrations being banned.”

Palestine Action was proscribed on 5 July, putting the direct action group in the same legal category as groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State. The move was taken after an estimated £7m of damage was caused to planes at RAF Brize Norton in June, according to police, in an action claimed by the group.

Supporting Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has faced criticism over the proscription, with many arguing that it is a draconian move and that she is deploying terrorism legislation to outlaw protest.

Hinton, who lives in Gorran Haven, Cornwall, was among eight protesters who took part in a 11am vigil at Truro Cathedral organised by the group Defend Our Juries. They carried placards with the words: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

Three police vans arrived about 20 minutes after the silent vigil started. The protesters were told they would be allowed to go home if they put down their placards. They were arrested when they refused.

“I was actually in a state of trauma,” said Hinton. “I was shaking uncontrollably, but I was not going to leave. I’ve been a magistrate. I’ve devoted my life to the voluntary sector. It was extremely traumatic. It’s a measure of how strongly I felt about this.”

Hinton was taken in a van to Exeter police station. Another of the protesters arrested under the Terrorism Act that day was transported in a separate vehicle because of a physical disability. Hinton was allowed to take a book, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and a notebook into her cell.

“They took my handbag and my watch. I was also wearing my miniature OBE, and they took that too,” she said.

Hinton could face a maximum sentence of six months in jail. She told The Observer: “My view is that [Palestine Action] is not a terrorist organisation. It’s a direct action organisation. I lived through the Troubles. I was in London during the [IRA] bombings. I know what a terrorist organisation is.

“What you should do with direct action organisations is arrest the people who’ve caused criminal damage and charge them, and then they’re convicted or not convicted. And that’s it.”

Hinton worked as a magistrate for the Inner London juvenile courts between 1977 and 1985. Under her bail conditions – which last until 17 October – she is banned from entering Truro Cathedral or the surrounding gardens, to prevent “interfering with witnesses”. She is also prohibited from associating with her seven co-defendants.

Hinton is working with the cathedral, fundraising for the choir, and said the “absolutely absurd” ban from its grounds will interfere with these efforts.

She said there were several monuments to her Cornish ancestors in the cathedral. Her great-great-great-grandfather was Sir Richard Hussey Vivian, who commanded the 6th Cavalry Brigade at the battle of Waterloo, credited with carrying out the final charges that led to Napoleon’s defeat.

Hinton said she had always supported the Palestinian cause. She believes the government “crossed a red line” by proscribing Palestine Action and said she was ready to go to prison on the principle of the right to protest.

“The government really does need to think again,” she added. “This is just absolutely absurd to waste that amount of police time, energy and everything else on people who are sitting doing a harmless vigil.”

Photograph by Harry Borden/Observer