Matt Kelly's picks of the week: Palestine Action, quack healthcare and David Bowie’s shoes

Frances Kelly, screenwriter, journalist … criminal?

The offence: carrying a placard at a protest against the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. Frances is not alone, of course; more than 1,600 people have been arrested for carrying such placards – one of which is displayed across the entire cover of this week’s magazine.

This week, another 66 were arrested by police outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, just outside the hall where the architect of this most idiotic legislation, Yvette Cooper, waved a small flag in demonstration of her patriotism.

Some will say it’s perfectly possible to demonstrate against the IDF’s actions without supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. But there’s the rub. Palestine Action are not terrorists – at least not unless the definition of terrorism is now so broad as to include mere criminal damage and trespass, actions already well covered by existing law.

No; Cooper’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action – and in doing so cast thousands of decent British citizens making perfectly reasonable protest as terrorists or terrorism-supporters – was a kneejerk display of machisma entirely at odds with the “British values” she flaunted with her conference flag-waving.

Frances Kelly isn’t a criminal. And at a time when police and courts are under greater stress than ever before, this farcical policy to make her one is a national embarrassment.

Elsewhere in this week’s magazine:

A report by Deepak Adhikari from one of my favourite cities, Kathmandu, currently in a state of violent political revolution.
Matthew d’Ancona presents a damning assessment of the quack health policies emerging from the White House.
James Ball meets a man who should be a hero to anyone interested in combating fascism: Hope Not Hate’s inspirational leader Nick Lowles.
And there’s a double dose of Marie Le Conte this week. What a treat! Her regular Dilettante column on the perils of conference season is matched by a ferocious dissection of Robert Jenrick. It’s a must-read.
In Arts and Culture, Eleanor Longman-Rood goes on a date with Barack Obama, Sophia Deboick obsesses on the chewing gum stuck to David Bowie’s shoes and John Bleasdale is in thrall to Claudia Cardinale.
The brilliant Jamie Klingler takes on the hero worship of Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. “We have created a monster,” Jamie writes. “Now it’s time to break free.”