Palestine Action is a pro-Palestinian protest network, formed in July 2020, that uses direct action tactics to shut down and disrupt multinational arms dealers. The group targets UK-based operations that provide weapons to Israeli occupation forces. Its main targets are UK factories of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. In their campaigns, Palestine Actionists have used protest and occupation of premises, which has sometimes resulted in participants being arrested.

Filton 10 Case

Ten actionists are imprisoned after six of them drove a modified prison van into Elbit’s research, development and manufacturing hub in Filton, Bristol. Once inside, the six dismantled Israeli weapons, including the same model of quadcopter drones used by the Israeli military to mimic the sounds of women and children crying, to lure Palestinians and kill them. The action allegedly cost Israel’s largest weapons firm over £1million in damages. 

After the six were arrested at the scene, four more were rounded up by armed counter-terrorism police, in different parts of the country. All 10 are now remanded in prison. Whilst under arrest, each of the 10 were detained without charge for approximately a week and interrogated repeatedly under the Terrorism Act. Displaying the clear abuse of such powers, each were eventually charged with non-terror offences.