Lion TV investigates proscription of Palestine Action as terror group for C4’s Dispatches

Dispatches reporter Matt Shea presents Palestine Action: The Truth Behind the Ban

Channel 4’s Dispatches strand has investigated the UK government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in a programme that will air next week.

Palestine Action: The Truth Behind the Ban will be available to watch live and stream on Channel 4 in the UK on February 9.

The investigation, produced by All3Media-owned Lion Television, examines the legal, political and civil liberty implications of the ban.

The UK government’s decision has triggered widespread controversy, mass protests across the UK and the arrest of more than 2,500 people who have publicly expressed support for the group.

The programme features an exclusive interview with a Palestine Action activist this week acquitted of aggravated burglary and the first face-to-face interview with Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, since Parliament proscribed the group.

It sees Dispatches reporter Matt Shea ask why the government felt compelled to proscribe Palestine Action, putting it alongside internationally recognised terrorist organisations such as ISIS and neo-Nazi groups, and explores the evidence and reasoning behind the unprecedented move.

Daniel Pearl, creative director at Lion Television, said: “This is a rigorous and timely investigation into a decision with profound consequences for democratic protest and freedom of expression in the UK.

“Dispatches set out to examine the facts behind the ban, and to give viewers the clearest possible understanding of how and why this proscription came about.”

Jo Potts, commissioning editor at Channel 4, said: “This film explores a highly contentious decision that has far-reaching implications, asking important questions that have been the subject of significant public debate.

“It is an investigation that sits within the long Dispatches tradition of investigating complex issues in the public interest at a time when long-form, duly impartial and rigorous journalism could not be more important.”