The Palestine Action group, founded in 2020 by Huda Ammori, the daughter of a Palestinian, and Richard Barnard, a left-wing activist, was formed to protest against the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems
After five years of increasingly intense attacks on British industries linked to Israel, the UK Parliament voted on Wednesday to classify the group as a terrorist organization, putting it on the same level as groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda.
The decision was taken by a vote of 385 in favor and 26 against, following an attack by the group on June 20 at RAF Brize Norton air base, where they damaged military aircraft.
A video that went viral at the time showed protesters painting the engines of two Airbus Voyager tanker planes red, attacking the aircraft with crowbars, throwing paint on the runway and leaving a Palestinian flag at the site.
Now, being part of Palestine Action can result in up to 14 years in prison.
Interior Minister Dan Jarvis stressed: “Legitimate protests do not involve guns, smoke bombs or fireworks that put people at risk.
Legitimate protests do not cause millions of pounds of damage to national security infrastructure such as submarines and NATO defence equipment.”
The group’s initial actions included occupying the rooftops of arms factories for several days, with protesters wearing red overalls and destroying equipment with hammers and tools.
Palestine Action later began targeting not only Elbit but also companies that work with it, such as recruitment agencies, property management companies, logistics firms and even global banks such as Barclays.
Since Hamas’s attack on 7 October, the group’s actions have intensified, with offices being raided and buildings painted red to symbolise the blood spilled in Gaza.
Some MPs have opposed the decision, calling it excessive.
Independent MP Zarah Sultana argued that the government was equating “a non-violent group of students, nurses, teachers, firefighters and peace activists – ordinary people like my constituents and yours – with neo-Nazi militias and groups that cause mass casualties.”
The final ruling is expected to be confirmed soon by the House of Lords.
In the meantime, Palestine Action is pursuing a legal challenge, and a hearing is scheduled for Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily suspended until the case is considered in detail.
Published in 07/04/2025 11h22
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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