The British prison system is currently holding 21 pro-Palestinian activists. Along with the 20+ environmental protesters also detained, these political prisoners deserve all our solidarity.
Palestine Action was set up in 2020 by activists who were frustrated by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s opposition to the use of direct action to enforce Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. Since then it has primarily targeted the British operation of Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, as well as other companies which collaborate with Elbit or are otherwise implicated in the arming of the Zionist war machine or sale of its ‘battle tested’ technology to other countries’ militaries. Palestine Action’s activities include occupations, blockades and drenching premises in red paint to symbolise the blood on the hands of these profiteering companies.
Until recently, although a lot of these actions led to arrests, very few Palestine Action activists ended up behind bars. This has changed since Keir Starmer’s Labour government came to power. In particular there has been an increase in the use of the Terrorism Act (TA) 2003, an act brought in by the last Labour government at a time when Starmer himself was Director of Public Prosecutions. On 27 November, the Metropolitan Police used the TA to arrest six people for alleged support of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) and raid the premises of the Kurdish Community Centre in Haringey, north London.
There are 19 Palestine Action activists being held in prison in England, along with three in Scotland (see page 13). The prisoners in England have not been tried or convicted, but have been refused bail by the courts. The majority were arrested in relation to actions against the Filton arms factory in Bristol. Ten people were remanded following arrests in August 2024 and a further eight in November. Although none have so far been charged with terrorism offences, the Terrorism Act was used to arrest them, allowing the police more powers to detain pre-charge, carry out dawn raids on homes and generally act in a heavy-handed manner. In the latest arrests, flatmates and families were evicted from their homes, sometimes for several days while the police searched premises. In one raid, the mother and younger brother of the person arrested were both handcuffed, despite not being accused of any offence.
In prison, those on remand for pro-Palestine direct action have come in for special scrutiny and additional intrusive measures on top of those which all prisoners are forced to deal with. The six women held in Bronzefield prison are all kept on separate wings and deliberately prevented from associating with one another. Their mail has been heavily censored. Four male prisoners in Wormwood Scrubs, although not subject to the same separation regime, have also had their correspondence held up, censored and returned to sender, with supporters being served with notices to the effect that no communication between them is permitted. FRFI successfully appealed against such a notice in relation to our sending the paper to the prisoners, although the prison claims it still has a right to withhold the paper or other publications if the censors decide they are ‘inappropriate for a prison setting’.
The purpose of all this is clearly to scare those it is directly targeting and to deter others from taking direct action for Palestine. As Palestine Action carries out more actions against Elbit, including repeatedly blockading the UAV Engines site at Shenstone in the Midlands, which manufactures engines for Elbit, it is clear that the repression is not succeeding.
We encourage everyone to show solidarity with the prisoners by sending them cards and letters, and to join protests outside the prisons like the one held at Bronzefield on 4 November.
Nicki Jameson
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