To Kill a War Machine
Directed by Hannan Majid, Richard York
Rainbow Collective, 2025
In 2020, a lot changed in the world. COVID-19 shut down the global economy, and travel ground to a halt, and a small group of pro-Palestine activists broke into and spray painted Israeli-based weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems’ London office.
This was the beginning of the self-described “non-violent, yet disruptive” activist group Palestine Action (PA).
Five years later, the British government announced it would proscribe PA as a terrorist group, over the organisation’s direct action tactics, which are explored in Rainbow Collective's latest documentary film, To Kill a War Machine.
Combining actual footage of PA’s activities, often filmed by participants themselves, along with interviews with members and supporters, To Kill a War Machine captures the grassroots tactics and methods used by PA against the arms industry in Britain. The film also showcases the millions of dollars in damage and billions in unfulfilled contracts resulting from such actions.
More than this, the film links action in support of Palestine to a wider system of exploitation and how the same companies enabling genocide in Palestine cause harm all across the world.
For example, when PA targeted Arconic factories in Britain for their role in supplying Israel with components and materials for military aircraft, they were also targeting the company for its culpability in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire. Arconic made the plastic-filled cladding panels on the side of the building and were found by a public inquiry to have engaged in “systematic dishonesty” and to have “misled the market” regarding the product’s fire safety.
To Kill a War Machine is an astounding film. However, Rainbow Collective have “taken the difficult decision” to temporarily take down the online version of the film, saying in a statement on the film's website: “We never want our documentaries to expose our audiences or communities to danger from the state and, as such, the film will remain unavailable until we have absolute legal assurance that it can be distributed within the law.”
For those who have had the privilege of seeing it, it is a strong and emboldening look into one of the foremost protest groups fighting hard for the liberation of Palestine.
Palestine Action’s proscription on July 2 has drawn condemnation from human rights organisations and United Nations experts, who say Britain is redefining activism as extremism, and setting a dangerous precedent potentially undermining the right to protest. An initial appeal against the ban failed, however a further appeal is expected later in July.
Rainbow Collective directors and founders Richard York and Hannan Majid said about the proscription decision: “We also feel that proscription of a non-violent protest group is the most concerning example of authoritarian overreach that we have seen in the UK in our lifetimes, not just on the right to protest but on the rights of independent film makers, writers, journalists and artists like ourselves who should be allowed to platform the views and actions of non-violent protesters.”
We are all Palestine Action!