Reversing a previous outcome, Four Palestine Action (PA) members received long sentences on June 12 for their role in a 2024 factory occupation, involving property damage, at the notorious Israeli weapons company, Elbit Systems’ site in Filton.
PA is a direct action solidarity organisation committed to “ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.
The sentences ranged from five years and eight months to eight years and eight months. All were lengthened due to a “terrorism connection” determined by the judge — but controversially kept secret from the jury.
Novara Media reported that “it’s the first time in British history that anyone has been sentenced as a terrorist for damaging property”.
“It won’t be the last,” the publication added.
In a separate court decision, the British government won it’s appeal, on June 15, to maintain the ban on PA as a terrorist organisation.
Prosecutors failed to secure any convictions in February, in the first trial of the “Filton Six” (the four who were convicted in the second trial plus two others).
The same month, the British High Court overturned former home secretary Yvette Cooper’s controversial 2025 order proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.
Since the order came into effect last year, more than 3400 people have been arrested, most for simply holding signs saying “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. At a protest on September 6 last year, police arrested about half of the 1500 people holding such signs.
These developments highlight the political battle surrounding Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
On the one hand, there is massive public opposition around the world to Israel’s genocide. Pew Research released a poll on June 4 finding that large majorities in most of the 36 countries they surveyed – including 69% in Britain, 79% in Australia – have unfavourable opinions of Israel.
On the other hand, imperialist governments are doing all they can politically get away with, to support Israel’s genocide.
This is the reason for the legal attacks on the Palestine solidarity movement, including the ban on PA.
Journalist Jonathan Cook reported on the extraordinary lengths the judicial establishment went to, in order to secure this conviction. These included the judge ruling that: the defendants were not permitted to refer to their motives; the jury may not be informed of their absolute right to acquit; that terms like “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” may not be used in court; among other irregularities.
Shockingly, these included the judge jailing the main defence barrister in the first trial for contempt of court, simply for noting to the jury in his summing up speech that they had a hundreds-of-years-old right in law to acquit. He ultimately won his case.
These extraordinary irregularities prompted thousands of legal professionals, according to Cook, to call on the judge to step down from sentencing.
PA co-founder, Huda Ammori, told The Guardian that she is confident the group will ultimately overturn the government’s ban, either in the courts or “on the streets”.
“I‘m certain that legally we are correct that this ban is disproportionate to free speech and the right to protest. I think that’s really clear,” she said. “We just need to get to the right court that’s going to recognise that and we’ll take it all the way up to the European court of human rights, if needs be.”