A pro-Palestine peace campaigner has spoken out after his van was ticketed outside a Blackburn bank.

The van was parked opposite the Barclays branch on Darwen Street as protestors gathered on Saturday morning.

The protest was one of number being held outside the branch across the country to highlight the ongoing bombing of Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

The van is owned by Blackburn’s Mohammed Mudassar who has been a constant figure at pro-Palestine marches across the country attending dozens of protests.

Mohammed who is known as Moody, has been spotted in London and Manchester at some of the biggest demonstrations of the past five months and said this was the first time he had been ticketed.

He said: “We have been in Blackburn at almost every single protest. Normally there are no issues as everyone knows we are only here for an hour and then we move on.

“This is first time they have decided to ticket the van. We were not causing any obstruction but when asked to move we immediately comply.

“Everyone who protests is always polite and when asked to move aside we always do.

“Not sure why all of a sudden the van became a menace.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

An organiser said: "We have been protesting very peacefully for the last few months outside Barclays bank in Blackburn. Not one incident has taken place.

"We had requested an advertising van to attend on all occasions. Due to restricted availability, the van driver could not attend previous protests. However. on this particular occasion, he came for a few minutes.

"One particular traffic warden came and issued a parking ticket to the van driver. His actions were completely out of order. 

"This is simply unacceptable. Organisers will be taking the matter up with the council."

Protestors said Barclays "provides more than £3 billion in loans and underwriting to companies whose weapons, components, and military technology have been used in Israel’s armed violence against Palestinians".

Barclays has previously told the BBC it has clear policies on investments in defence, what it will and will not support.

The council has been approached for a comment about the parking ticket.

Pro-Palestine protests continued across the country with a large event planned in Preston today (Sunday).

It follows a speech by Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak who warned about the current situation in Britain, saying there are “forces here at home trying to tear us apart”.
Speaking at a lectern outside the doors of No 10 Downing Street on  Friday, Mr Sunak said “our democracy itself is a target” and decried a recent “shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality”.

A leading human rights charity warned the government not to conflate peaceful marches with extremism.

In response to Rishi Sunak’s speech, Ilyas Nagdee, Amnesty International UK’s Racial Justice Director, said: “The overwhelmingly peaceful protests about mass atrocities in Gaza must not be conflated with extremism.

“People are protesting because of the terrifyingly high civilian death toll in Gaza, which is still mounting inexorably, and the Government’s lack of action for an immediate ceasefire to stem the unbearable suffering.

“The threat to impose yet more restrictions on people’s right to peacefully protest is deeply worrying and suggests the Government is determined to silence those who may disagree with its policies. This is entirely in line with the chaotic patchwork of legislation and sweeping policing powers we have seen introduced in recent years.”