Recently, extracts have been released to the media from the report of the government’s so-called ‘independent adviser on domestic violence and disruption’, former Labour Party MP John Woodcock – now known as Lord Walney. It reportedly calls for campaign groups such as Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil to be banned, despite the groups themselves being denied access to the report. However, Woodcock’s associations with Big Oil and Israel show he is far from independent.
John Woodcock: we must STOP all this protest
As BBC News reported:
An upcoming report from Lord Walney, which BBC News has seen extracts of, will recommend a new category for proscribing “extreme protest groups”.
It defines these as those which routinely use criminal tactics to try to achieve their aims.
The sanctions could restrict a group’s ability to fundraise and its right to assembly in the UK.
The Home Office said ministers would consider the recommendations.
“Militant groups like Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil are using criminal tactics to create mayhem and hold the public and workers to ransom without fear of consequence,” Lord Walney said.
“Banning terror groups has made it harder for their activists to plan crimes – that approach should be extended to extreme protest groups too.”
Of course, many people would not consider Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action “extreme” – given they are taking action over the extinction-threatening climate crisis and Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
However, clearly Woodcock disagrees – and his links to certain companies and groups show why.
Far from ‘independent’
Woodcock serves vested corporate interests in the arms and fossil fuel industries, whose profits are being threatened by precisely the groups he’s proposing to ban.
Amongst other roles, Woodcock:
- Chairs the Purpose Defence Coalition, whose members include Leonardo, one of the world’s largest arms manufacturers with extensive links to the Israeli government.
- Is a paid adviser to Rud Pederson, lobbyists, whose clients include the oil and gas giant, Glencore.
- Is a paid adviser to the Purpose Business Coalition, whose members include BP.
Woodcock also visited Israel in January of this year, funded by Elnet, an NGO promoting cooperation between Europe and Israel.
The revelations echo a previous attempt by the so-called ‘think-tank’, Policy Exchange to brand climate activists as ‘extremists’ in 2019. It later emerged that Policy Exchange was also being funded by Big Oil.
Woodcock: he’s a sham
Tim Crosland, director of the climate justice charity Plan B, said:
Lord Walney’s report is being presented as ‘independent’. But that’s not true. That’s dishonest. Lord Walney failed to disclose he is in fact the Chair of Defence Purpose Coalition, a group which represents the interests of arms companies, such as Leonardo, which Palestine Action are exposing for facilitating mass loss of life in Gaza.
He is also a paid adviser to the Purpose Business Coalition, which includes BP, whose vast profits are threatened by Just Stop Oil. So his recommendations are not surprising, since they serve the vested corporate interests he represents. But it would be a shocking deception on the public for anyone to present those recommendations as ‘independent’.
Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, said:
Whilst our government remains complicit in the ongoing Gaza genocide, it is our duty to take direct action to halt the production of weapons in Britain which is being used against the Palestinian people.
It is a sham for the government to try and claim Lord Walney is an ‘independent’ advisor, who only a few months ago travelled to Israel, whilst families were being massacred a couple of hours away. By writing this report, he is working to protect the interests of Israel’s military supply chain, over the will of the British people, who overwhelmingly support an arms embargo on Israel.
Unelected politicians with vested interests in arms companies and genocidal entities should not be given airtime to dictate British policy.
Woodcock was originally supposed to release his full report on Wednesday 15 May. It is understood that legal issues may now cause a short delay to publication.
Featured image via Parliament TV
