Pro-Palestine activists remanded under UK Terrorism Act

Members of various pro-Palestine groups have come out in a show of solidarity with fellow activists who are on trial for standing up for Palestine.

Several members of the direct action group, Palestine Action, are facing the long arm of British law for raiding a site belonging to the UK-based Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems.

• UK court tries Palestine Action activists using Terrorism Act
  

  UK court tries Palestine Action activists arrested under Terrorism Act

  A British court is trying several members of the direct-action group, the Palestine Action, arrested under the country’s Terrorism Act.

The British state is trying to criminalize voices for Palestine. So it's unsurprising.

Considering the British state's link with Zionism historically, and right now, then of course people are going to smash up arms companies’ private property.

… in relation to the kind of massacres you're seeing in Palestine, they're going to criminalize (that) so it's not shocking, but of course, despicable.

Protestor 01

• UK based Israeli arms maker, Elbit Systems, besieged by Palestine Action
  

  UK based Israeli arms maker, Elbit Systems, besieged by Palestine Action

  In the past few years, the pro-Palestinian protest network, Palestine Action, has forced two of multiple UK-based Elbit sites to close through direct action.

The raid on Elbit took place last week. Video footage shows Palestine Action members crashing a modified prison van into the Elbit factory gates doing as much damage as they could to the facility, near the Southwest city of Bristol.

This led to 10 activists being detained by the British police, which was not surprising.

What surprised the activists was that they were arrested under the UK's terrorism legislation and allegedly held in solitary confinement.

That allows the police to detain them for up to 28 days without charge, which is an incredibly long time for what amounts to basically burglary, aggravated burglary, some damage and some burglary.

So we sense that it's a way of intimidating the wider movement.

Alex Taylor, Plymouth Active Friends of Palestine

• Palestine Action activists demand Elbit weapons maker shut down
  

  Palestine Action activists demand Elbit weapons maker shut down

  Palestine Action activists spray the ADS group with red paint and shut down the advocate of the world’s largest arms dealers.

The UK has seen months of national Palestine solidarity movement calling for an end to the Gaza genocide and to the UK government's complicity in it.

Palestine Action members say the leaders of the protest movement are too compliant.

We're sick of it. These leaders should be talking about, at least talking about boycott actions and instructing us on what our on the ground campaign should be in between demonstrations.

 And they're shirking from this, and we feel that they are more interested in their own survival than the survival of the Palestinian people.

Alex Taylor, Plymouth Active Friends of Palestine

• Beginning of the end? Israeli arms firm Elbit's finances crumbling
  

  Beginning of the end? Israeli arms firm Elbit's finances crumbling

  An investigative journalist believes that finances of the leading Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems are crumbling.

Palestine Action has been successfully targeting Elbit Systems sites across the UK for years.

The company supplies 85% of Israel's military drones and land-based equipment, lethal weapons the regime uses to kill Palestinians.

Three of the 10 detained members of Palestine Action are currently on trial at the Westminster Magistrates Court.

A verdict is yet to be delivered, but Palestine Action and their supporters are saying they are not going to be intimidated into allowing such blatant genocide to continue.

• Protesters demand UK stop arming Israel
  

  Protesters demand UK stop arming Israel

  A protest outside Starmer’s office has demanded that his government impose an arms embargo on the regime over its war crimes in Gaza.

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