Criminalising Dissent

Britain’s Crackdown on Palestine Action: Terror Charges Mark a Turning Point in Repression

A protester holds a sign outside Royal Courts of Justice during the Palestine Action appeal hearing. Photo credit: Vuk Valcic

On Monday, 15 June, the Court of Appeal reversed an earlier decision that found the Starmer administration’s proscription of the direct action group Palestine Action unlawful. The ruling came just days after four activists who damaged drones at an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol were sentenced as terrorists, marking a new phase in the crackdown on Palestine solidarity in Britain.

“This is not a loss,” wrote Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action. “Palestine Action was so effective in disrupting the Israeli weapons industry that the state threw all its might at us. By doing so, they’ve exposed how they prioritise the Zionist regime over its own citizens. As long as we continue to resist, we’ve won.”

The judge’s ruling included remarks comparing Palestine Action to historical groups like the suffragettes, who won civil rights victories through similar forms of action. Many analysts criticised the judge for presenting an inaccurate version of history, where she claimed the suffragettes were a peaceful civil disobedience group.

“The suffragettes bombed the Chancellor’s house, planted a bomb outside the Bank of England, burnt down churches and train stations, and smashed up art galleries,” Your Party MP Zarah Sultana wrote on social media. “Palestine Action destroyed drones used to kill Palestinians in Gaza because Elbit’s ‘lawful business’ is arming a genocide.”

“The British state is rewriting history and dismantling our legal system to protect Israel, a genocidal apartheid state,” she emphasised.

“Following the sentencing of the Filton 4 as terrorists on Friday, for damaging drones that were used to slaughter Palestinian men, women, and children, it appears the courts have been instrumentalised to suppress opposition to genocide, when they should be doing the precise opposite,” the group Defend Our Juries wrote of Monday’s ruling. “We will continue to protest against this government’s embarrassing attempts to cover up its crimes with mafia-state intimidation tactics.”

Since October 2023, Keir Starmer’s Labour government has consistently refused popular calls to hold Israel accountable for the genocide in Gaza. While hundreds of thousands marched in solidarity with Palestine, the government welcomed Israeli officials and maintained trade relations with the apartheid entity. Britain’s complicity was recorded on numerous occasions, including by the Gaza Tribunal.

Activists warned that repression of solidarity has been used as an intimidation tactic since the early stages of the genocide. This included legal action against organisers of peaceful demonstrations and pursuit of draconian sentences for those engaging in direct action against Israeli companies in Britain, like Elbit Systems. In 2025, the government declared Palestine Action a terrorist organisation and outlawed expressing support for it.

The proscription triggered further outrage, with thousands participating in peaceful actions, holding signs reading, “I Oppose Genocide.” I Support Palestine Action.” Police action against participants remained chaotic for the past year but led to hundreds of arrests, notably of elderly people, people with disabilities, and public service workers.

Dozens of people arrested for taking direct action against sites and companies complicit in genocide have been held in pretrial detention for prolonged periods of time. Last week, a judge sentenced four activists—Charlotte Head, Leona Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, and Samuel Corner—under a “terrorist connection.” The decision came despite a more lenient jury conclusion earlier this year. The four were sentenced to a total of 22 years and 4 months between them, with more activists undergoing trial since 15 June.

Defend Our Juries emphasised that terrorism-related sentences often mean a more complicated route to release and long-lasting implications. “Once released from prison, a ‘terrorist connection’ may mean intrusive supervision requirements are imposed, such as providing information about personal relationships and electronic devices, for up to 15 years after a prison sentence has been served,” the group said.

“One by one, the very foundations of our democracy are being destroyed—all to oil the wheels of British complicity in genocide. Our government has participated in the mass murder of Palestinians,” your party’s Jeremy Corbyn wrote on Monday. “That is the real crime, and we must bring about justice.”