Palestine Action

Palestine Action
Founder	•  Huda Ammori •  Richard Barnard
Type	Direct action movement
Membership	•  Huda Ammori •  Emily Arnott •  Richard Barnard •  Sarah Wilkinson
Palestine Action is proscribed in Britain. For that reason, the website has been transferred to others in the global movement who are not active in Britain or British nationals.

Palestine Action is a British pro-Palestinian protest network that has been using civil disobedience tactics to shut down and disrupt multinational arms dealers. In particular, the group targeted UK-based operations that provide weapons used in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

On Wednesday 2 July 2025, Parliament approved the draft Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2025 and proscribed three distinct "terrorist" groups: Maniacs Murder Cult, Palestine Action and the Russian Imperial Movement. Proscription came into force at midnight on 4 July 2025 and means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence.

Background

In August 2024, following arrests of PA activists Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and of Sarah Wilkinson under Section 12 (1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000, a PA spokesperson said:

The British state is deliberately abusing counter-terrorism laws to target Palestine Action and the wider movement in order to protect the interests of a foreign genocidal entity over the freedom of its own citizens. As a movement we will only become stronger in the face of increased repression.

Proscription

Met Police ordered the PA demo to be moved from outside Parliament to Trafalgar Square

The UK government was expected to move to ban Palestine Action and proscribe it as a terrorist organisation, after two activists broke into RAF Brize Norton on Friday 20 June 2025 on electric scooters and damaged two Royal Air Force Airbus Voyager freighter aircraft.

How to challenge proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation

On 23 June 2025, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced she had decided to proscribe Palestine Action and would lay an order before Parliament next week and if approved after debates by MPs and peers, the ban could come into force by Friday.

The ban under terror laws makes it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The Home Secretary said in a written ministerial statement:

“The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton in the early hours of the morning on Friday 20 June is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action.

“The UK’s defence enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this Government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk.”

On 2 July 2025, Jeremy Corbyn spoke in the debate in Parliament about the proposed proscription of Palestine Action.

On 4 July 2025, Huda Ammori asked London’s High Court to stop the proscription of Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organisation, before a full hearing of her case that banning the group is unlawful later this month. High Court Judge Martin Chamberlain ruled against Ammori and refused to pause the ban. Following a late-night hearing, the Court of Appeal rejected an appeal against that decision at just after 2130 GMT. This means the proscription of Palestine Action is upheld and comes into force at midnight on 4 July 2025.

Judicial Reviews

A Judicial Review of Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe Palestine Action was sought by Huda Ammori in London and by Craig Murray in Edinburgh.

Royal Courts of Justice

Huda Ammori was granted four grounds on which to challenge the proscription in a Judicial Review which was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice over three days between 26 November and 2 December 2025.

On 30 July 2025 Mr Justice Chamberlain granted two grounds: that the proscription was a disproportionate interference with Article 10 and Article 11 ECHR Convention Rights, namely the rights to expression and assembly; and that Palestine Action should have been consulted.

Two additional grounds were granted by the Court of Appeal on 17 October 2025: that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper failed to have regard to domestic public law principles and that she did not apply her own policy including the proportionality of the proscription.

Huda Ammori's challenge concluded on Tuesday 2 December 2025, with Counsel on both sides making final submissions ahead of the highly-anticipated judgment. The case was considered by the President of the High Court’s King’s Bench Division, Dame Victoria Sharp, Mrs Justice Steyn and Mr Justice Swift.

On 13 February 2026, Crispin Flintoff was filming outside the Royal Courts of Justice as the Judicial Review panel ruled that Huda Ammori had won her challenge on two grounds, but the ban would remain to allow further arguments and the British government time to consider an appeal.

Summarising the ruling, Judge Victoria Sharp said:

"Palestine Action is a group that promotes its political cause through criminality and the encouragement of criminality".

Huda Ammori called for proscription to be lifted after the High Court ruled it unlawful and found it to be a very serious interference with protest rights. Ammori said:

Lisa Minerva Luxx speaking on Friday 13 February 2026 outside the Royal Courts of Justice after the ruling that proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful

“Considering the thousands of people who are going through the criminal justice system are being prosecuted for holding up signs saying: ‘I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action’ and the chaos that’s created, it’s ridiculous to even try and maintain an unlawful ban.

“The logical next step is for either the proscription order to be quashed, and, if not quashed completely, for the effect of the proscription to be stopped whilst the government attempts an appeal.

“This is a huge, huge step forward, and we’re closer than ever to getting the ban lifted. So even though it didn’t happen immediately, I have faith that it’s going to happen quite soon. The ban has been proven unlawful from its inception so the fact that we haven’t been de-proscribed immediately – we can wait a little bit longer.”

Edinburgh Court of Session

Craig Murray reports on Scottish hearing on Palestine Action proscription

On 27 January 2026, a separate Judicial Review of the ban on Palestine Action was allowed to go ahead, a Judge at Scotland's highest civil court ruled. Former diplomat Craig Murray brought a petition for a review of the decision to the Court of Session earlier in January.

Lord Young granted permission for the case to proceed with a procedural hearing on 23 February and a two-day substantive hearing on 17 and 18 March 2026.

Protests

Palestine Action was founded on 30 July 2020 when activists broke into and spray-painted the interior of Elbit Systems' UK headquarters in London.

On 19 May 2021, during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, four members of the group dressed in red boiler suits climbed onto the roof of an Elbit Systems-owned drone factory in Meridian Business Park, Leicester. The occupation lasted six days, and a total of 10 arrests were made for conspiracy to commit criminal damage and aggravated trespass.

The group have staged similar occupations of Elbit Systems sites in Bristol, Oldham in collaboration with Extinction Rebellion and Tamworth in collaboration with Animal Rebellion.

On 10 June 2021, three protestors from the group "stormed, scaled and occupied" an APPH drone factory in Runcorn. Activists daubed red paint on the exterior, dismantled drone and aircraft machinery and destroyed windows. The next day all three were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and aggravated trespass.

On 14 June 2021, the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, a similar occupation protest was staged at an Arconic factory in Kitts Green, Birmingham by three protestors. Arconic provided the cladding that allowed the rapid transmission of fire across Grenfell Tower, and according to Palestine Action provide "materials for Israel's fighter jets". The occupation ended when two activists were arrested from the roof of the building two days later. One activist was remanded in prison and immediately went on hunger strike. The activist said they would end their strike if any one of four conditions were met: release of Palestine Action protestors; the eviction of Elbit from its London headquarters by property firm LaSalle Investment Management; the closure of all Elbit Systems’ British operations or; release by the government of all correspondence and documents relating to its dealings with Elbit and its subsidiaries.

UAV Tactical Systems

In April 2022, two Palestine Action protestors chained themselves to the gates of a drone factory of UAV Tactical Systems at Meridian Business Park in Braunstone. Other activists gathered nearby with signs stating "Free Palestine". Three protestors were arrested. A spokesperson for the group said that "Direct action will not cease until all Elbit sites are closed."

Elbit Systems

'Palestine Action' co-founder speaks out

On 6 October 2022, eight Palestine Action activists known as the Elbit Eight were to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court, on charges of burglary, criminal damage and blackmail, pertaining to actions spanning the first six months of Palestine Action. The jury trial was expected to last 4 to 5 weeks and, if found guilty, three of the eight would face a potential 14-year jail sentence for blackmail charges:

“In two years of direct action, Palestine Action have severely disrupted the smooth functioning of a business built on bloodshed. For this, we are facing intense political repression.

"Let it be known that we stand as the accusers, not the accused, and we fully intend to expose Elbit’s many war crimes, in particular, the Israeli arms company’s role in 74 years of occupation and dispossession lived by the Palestinian people.

"#ElbitIsGuilty, we are not.”

Blackmail

Of the Elbit Eight, three – Huda Ammori, her fellow Palestine Action co-founder Richard Barnard, and their comrade Emily Arnott – faced the most serious charge of all, that of conspiracy to blackmail.

The charge is based on how the activists wrote to the company that provided Elbit’s London office space, encouraging its executives to evict the weapons manufacturer, and promising to expand their campaign if this request was not met. The maximum penalty for blackmail under English law is 14 years in prison.

However, for reasons unclear, that Elbit Eight trial was postponed until at least November 2023.

Just one conviction

On 22 December 2023, twelve NOT GUILTY verdicts were announced for the #ElbitEight after a six week jury trial!

The eight were on trial for several actions taken against Israel’s weapons trade, whilst established Palestine Action’s now-global movement.

Richard Barnard was convicted of 1 count of criminal damage against Elbit’s Oldham factory, which is now SHUT DOWN for good.

A jury note read out in court after the conviction, asked if they could reverse the verdict.

No decision was reached on the remaining 23 charges - meaning a retrial of those counts are likely to happen in 2024/2025.

The #ElbitEight will return as the #ElbitSix - as two were acquitted of all charges against them!

A retrial provides another opportunity to expose the crimes of Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems.

As this trial was happening, more Palestinians were massacred daily by Elbit’s weaponry and the fight to #ShutElbitDown amplified.

Quick acquittal

In November 2022, after a week and a half trial, five Palestine Action activists who threw paint at Elbit’s London HQ were acquitted in under an hour by a jury at Southwark Crown Court.

Balfour's statue

On 18 December 2023, Palestine Action posted on X:

A Jury at Southwark Crown Court delivered a unanimous NOT GUILTY verdict for two actionists who defaced Balfour’s statue in the House of Commons.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 signed away the land of Palestine to the Zionist regime.

They know #BritainIsGuilty, Palestine Action is not!

Teledyne Technologies

Four PA activists who occupied the US-owned Teledyne Defence and Space factory in Shipley on 2 April 2024 were charged with criminal damage after they were seen scaling and taking a sledgehammer to the roof. The factory manufactures components for missiles, electronics, gunsights and munitions for the Israeli military. Operations were ground to a halt as a result of the action.

Two of the four activists were remanded to prison afterwards. One was held for approximately one month, while the other was held for three months.

Palestine Action says Teledyne “boasts of its involvement with missile products procured by Israel, including the AGM-Harpoon, AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles deployed by Israel against Gaza — the latter reportedly being used to strike al-Shifa hospital.”

It also produces parts, including filters and multifunction assemblies for drones and aircraft, along with radar systems such as the type fitted in F-35 Fighter jets used by Israel.

Since 2018, its parent company Teledyne Technologies has applied for 134 export licences to Israel.

Genocide Convention

A Palestine Action spokesperson said:

“Under Section 1 of the Genocide Convention, Britain is obliged to prevent and punish the commission of genocide.

“When our government fails to do so, it’s the legal and moral obligation of ordinary people to take direct action.

“The weapons manufacturers arming genocide are the guilty ones, not Palestine Action.”

Hung Jury

On 13 September 2024, PA posted on X:

BREAKING: Jury refuse to convict four actionists who cost Teledyne's weapons factory over £500K in damages, disrupting the production of Israeli missile parts.

This result came after the Judge rejected all legal defences including the necessity to save lives and prevent the greater crime, leading to the four representing themselves and reminding the Jury of their right to acquit as a matter of conscience.

Defying all the odds and legal directions given by the Judge, the Jury were unable to reach a majority decision to convict, leading to a hung Jury.

A retrial is expected to happen in February 2026, giving another opportunity to expose who the real criminals are.

 

Known members

3 of the 4 of the members already have pages here:

Member	Description
Huda Ammori	UK peace activist, co-founded Palestine Action in 2020
Richard Barnard	Supporter of Palestine but charged with "expressing an opinion that is supportive of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 12 (1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000".
Sarah Wilkinson	Roving reporter on genocide in Gaza and the West Bank for MENA Uncensored

 

Related Documents

Title	Type	Publication date	Author(s)	Description
Document:"We accept of course that it is Draconian: and deliberately so."	blog post	8 July 2025	Craig Murray	"Appeal Court judge Lady Carr congratulated all the lawyers effusively on being brief and helpful, and said the case 'upheld the best traditions of the bar'. What it upheld, of course, was a further step into authoritarianism. This was the next morning: an 83-year-old priest arrested for supporting Palestine Action."
Document:36 Minute Trials and No Jury – Starmer’s Fascist Mass Courts	blog post	17 October 2025	Craig Murray	The experience of watching 2,000 upstanding citizens, most of them elderly and many of them infirm, hustled through this slaughterhouse queue of mass justice and into prison, with little opportunity to defend themselves, will be a defining moment in the UK’s headlong slide into fascism.
Document:Activism on trial: The Elbit Eight and Palestine solidarity	Article	16 November 2023	Fatimah Yasmin Ahmed	Eight activists are on trial this week at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court for disrupting a lethal link in Israel’s military supply chain within the UK. Over the next six weeks, the Elbit Eight will fight in court to prove that Elbit Systems is guilty, and they are not.
Document:British parliament votes to proscribe Palestine Action: a historic assault on democratic rights	Article	2 July 2025	Laura Tiernan	Speaking in Parliament, Zarah Sultana MP said: "Palestine Action’s true offence is being audacious enough to expose the blood-soaked ties between this Government and the genocidal Israeli apartheid state and its war machine. I say this loudly and proudly, on Wednesday 2 July 2025, we are all Palestine Action."
Document:Eight activists go on trial for disrupting Israel’s weapons trade	Article	10 November 2023	Mohamed Elmaazi	The trial of the Elbit Eight takes place at a time when Israel is waging a genocidal war against Gaza – using weapons from Elbit Systems and several other British firms.
Document:Genocidal RAF Squadron Targeted by Palestine Action is Owned by a Hedge Fund	blog post	25 June 2025	Craig Murray	"That such an obviously rotten and corrupt arrangement exists in the RAF I had no idea. Some British military personnel are in fact contracted mercenaries. It gives new context to the active RAF involvement in the Genocide in Gaza. Palestine Action’s excellent act of resistance in vandalising this Hedge Fund Air Force has brought all of this to our attention. Which is yet a further reason to be grateful to Palestine Action."
Document:Interview with Palestine protester arrested over Private Eye graphic	Interview	22 July 2025	Yuri Prasad	Retired 67-year-old headteacher Jon Farley: “I said, but it’s just a cartoon from Private Eye. I’ve got the magazine in my backpack. I can show it to you. But by that point they’d handcuffed me.”
Document:Lawyers For Israel Oppose Conscience	blog post	20 May 2023	Craig Murray	Convictions based on “intent” to do something you have not actually done, are generally dubious. The Shenstone defendants have been told by Judge Chambers they will get prison sentences. Expect these to be vicious.
Document:Palestine Action ban would be ‘authoritarian abuse’ of power, High Court told	Article	4 July 2025 10:37:00	Press Association Jess Glass Callum Parke Nina Massey	On Friday July 4, the High Court heard a challenge to the order, and Judge Martin Chamberlain ruled against Huda Ammori, meaning the proscription of Palestine Action is upheld and will come into force at midnight.
Document:Palestine Action to be proscribed as a terror group after break-in at UK's largest airbase	Article	20 June 2025	MEE staff	Palestine Action have carried out a series of high-profile actions during Israel's war on Gaza. Eighteen PA activists were arrested on terror charges after an action in August 2024 when activists drove a modified van into the research and development hub of UK-based Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, in Filton, Bristol. The Filton 18 are currently being held in remand.
Document:Tracker was added to Palestine Action co-founder's phone	blog post	29 August 2024		“A tracker was found in a phone returned to us after myself and Richard Barnard were arrested for being co-founders of Palestine Action, a direct action network against Israeli weapons factories. Never use technology the police have touched. Thankfully we never did.”
Document:Under the Statue of Gandhi	Article	6 July 2025	Mike Small	Aged 83, the Reverend Sue Parfitt from Bristol was detained for holding a placard that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

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References

This page imported content from Wikipedia on 11 September 2022.
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