London: UK Police have now arrested 107 people Friday outside Woolwich Crown Court in London after gathering in support of Palestine Action during the sentencing hearing of four activists involved in a raid on an Elbit Systems UK factory. The Metropolitan Police said 72 were being held in custody after being detained for expressing support for Palestine Action, which remains a proscribed organization despite a High Court ruling earlier this year that found the ban unlawful.
According to Anadolu Agency, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the court as the four activists, known as the Filton 4, faced sentencing for their roles in a 2024 action at an Elbit Systems site in Bristol. Around 200 demonstrators staged a sit-in, while others held placards that read: 'Saving lives is not terrorism . I support Palestine Action.' At about 1.20 pm local time, a middle-aged man carrying one of the signs was carried into the back of a police van by officers.
Several elderly demonstrators, some aged between 80 and 90, were also arrested after silently holding signs expressing support for the organization. One passerby was heard pleading with officers as they detained an elderly woman, saying, 'She's frail ... can you let her go? ... just from holding up a placard!' The Metropolitan Police defended the arrests, stating, 'We must enforce the law as it is at the time, not as it might be at a future date. We must do that consistently and without fear or favour.'
Earlier this year, the force said it remained a criminal offense to express support for Palestine Action while the proscription remained in force. The protest coincided with the sentencing hearing of Samuel Corner, 23; Charlotte Head, 30; Leona Kamio, 30 and Fatema Rajwani, 21 for their involvement in the raid on Aug. 6, 2024. Prosecutors said the group used a prison van as a 'battering ram' to enter the site before spraying red paint from fire extinguishers and using crowbars and sledgehammers to damage computers, drones and other equipment, causing an estimated £1 million ($1.34 million) in damage.
They were convicted of criminal damage following a retrial last month. Although they were acquitted of aggravated burglary in an earlier trial, Justice Jeremy Johnson ruled that the Bristol action had a 'terrorist connection,' a finding that could result in more severe sentences. The Court of Appeal will decide Monday whether to uphold that ruling.
Elbit Systems, Israel's largest military manufacturer, operates several offices and production facilities in Britain and elsewhere. The company produces communication systems, surveillance technologies, and unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. Campaigners and civil liberties groups criticized the use of the terrorism legislation in the case.
Kerry Moscogiuri, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, stated, 'Today's sentencing hearing risks marking a new low in the ongoing crackdown against protests across the UK. Criminal damage has never been treated as terrorism within the UK justice system before, and it is completely disproportionate to do so because the offense occurred at a protest.' She added, 'A terrorism sentence carries restrictions that stay with a person for the rest of their life. We should all be worried about what this means for other individuals taking direct action in protest at a genocide or any other issue. After all, the right to protest is one of the most effective tools we have to hold our leaders to account.'
Moscogiuri concluded, 'The use of terrorism laws to suppress direct action protesters sets a dangerous precedent for our fundamental rights in this country and must come to an end.'
