Hundreds of people are expected to head to central London this Saturday to join a peaceful protest in an effort to express support for Palestine Action.
Organised by Defend Our Juries, the group is attempting to put pressure on the government to lift the ban on Palestine Action, who were recently proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK.
“Together, in numbers, we will stand against UK complicity in Israel’s genocide,” the organisers said on social media, revealing that at least 500 people planned to attend.
“On August 9th, over 500 individuals will hold a sign in Parliament Square to call for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted. It is not illegal to campaign for the lifting of a ban on a proscribed group, according to the Terrorism Act 2000.”
The event begins at 12:50pm.
More than 60,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed by Israel in a brutal 22-month onslaught in the Gaza Strip that a growing chorus of experts is describing as a genocide, according to local health authorities.
Palestine Action, which was protesting against the UK’s arms sales to Israel, was proscribed as a terrorist group last month by the UK government in a widely criticised move that many feel is silencing those who oppose the conflict.
The proscription means that Palestine Action falls into the same category as proscribed international terrorist groups, like al Qaida and ISIS.
Police have reportedly warned activists “to think about the potential criminal consequences”, as expressing support for Palestine Action could be punishable by jail time due to the proscription.
The upcoming protest comes days after two 71-year-olds and one 53-year-old activist were “charged with showing support for the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action.”
At the same time this week, Israel’s Prime Minister also announced plans to take over Gaza City, in what many see as another move by Israel to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.
Amid reports of a starving civilian population, leaders such as Keir Starmer said Israel’s plans “to further escalate its offensive in Gaza are wrong” and “will only bring more bloodshed.”
So what is Palestine Action?
Who are Palestine Action?
Palestine Action is a pro-Palestinian protest network that seeks to disrupt Israeli weapons factories in Britain.
The group was founded by Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard in 2020. That year, members of the group allegedly climbed onto the roof of Elbit factory in Staffordshire with sledgehammers and whips, reportedly causing £1m worth of damage.
Elbit Systems manufactures 85 per cent of Israel’s drones. Two factories have permanently closed and their London headquarters have been abandoned following Palestine Action’s disruption.
“We’re very clear that our primary purpose is disruption. Naturally we use social media to broadcast our actions, to inform people about what’s going on in these factories and encourage others to join us. But the point is not simply to ‘raise awareness’ or put pressure on politicians. We bypass politicians and go straight to the aggressors,” Ammori wrote in a post on New Left Review.
She added that disruption had two forms. Firstly, focusing on stifling Israel’s ability to carry out its military aims and secondly, disrupting Israel’s economy.
The group have claimed responsibility for over 300 incidents at buildings such as universities and British-based defence facilities, resulting in the imprisonment of several members.
In August 2024, five Palestine Action members were jailed for a total of five years and two months, after reportedly causing more than £1,130,783 of damage at a weapons factory in Glasgow.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action said: “When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.”
Palestine Action founders
Huda Ammori
Huda Ammori was born in Bolton to a Palestinian father, who is a surgeon, and an Iraqi mother. She went on to study international business and finance at the University of Manchester, where she founded the university’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
The 31-year-old said that her Palestinian great-grandfather was killed by British soldiers in the 1936 uprising against the British.
Ms Ammori has been outspoken about the risk she is willing to take through her activism. “When you do these types of actions, you do it with an understanding that you could end up in prison,” she told Prospect.
Richard Barnard
Raised Catholic, Barnard was once part of a Christian anarchist group called the Catholic Worker, which seeks to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”. He has broken into American Air Force bases in Germany nine times, alongside local monks, Prospect has reported.
Today, Mr Barnard identifies as Muslim. As well as co-founding Palestine Action, he’s also a member of Extinction Rebellion.
He’s currently facing three charges for two speeches he gave on October 8 and October 11 2023, for which he is asking for donations to help cover legal costs.
He wrote on Crowd Justice: “I've been accused of one count of inviting support for a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, under section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act and two counts of encouraging 'criminal damage' against Israeli weapons factories under s44 of the Serious Crime Act.”
