As Zionist aggression against the Palestinians intensifies, the international supporters of the genocide have renewed their efforts to repress solidarity movements. It is unthinkable for Western imperialists to conceive of a Palestinian victory, as that would be synonymous with the loss of their foremost outpost in the Middle East.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has doubled down on Labour Party support for the Israeli state and increased efforts to police the solidarity movement. Prosecutors have sought to establish a ‘terrorism connection’ in the Filton 18’s case, in which 18 Palestine Action activists were arrested in summer and autumn 2024, and continue to be held on remand. It was revealed in a Guardian article on 29 April that the government shared contact details of counter-terrorism police and prosecutors with the Israeli embassy while investigating the Filton 18. This of course raises major concerns about Israeli meddling in the cases of Palestine activists in Britain.
In May 2025, a further 10 Palestine Action activists (two of whom are also part of the Filton 18) were charged for their actions against Instro Precision’s weapons factory in Kent. Similar to the Filton 18, prosecutors are attempting to establish a ‘terrorism connection’ in the Instro 10 case. Youth Demand, a direct action group, has also been a target of the state. Since their introductory meeting in late March, which saw six people arrested for simply attending, Youth Demand supporters were regularly arrested at events and had their homes raided throughout the month of April, many under ‘conspiracy’ charges – essentially thought crimes. The case of the SOAS 2, two FRFI supporters, is ongoing, with a trial date set for 23 February 2026 for one and an active investigation for the other.
In repressing the Palestine solidarity movement, the British state has made ample use of its terrorism legislation to arrest, charge and convict Palestine activists. This legislation gives counter-terror police near-total powers over those arrested under it, without any accountability. Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act allows British police officers to detain, search and question people without the right to remain silent, as a succession of journalists detained under its provision at airports have found out.
The use of terrorism legislation to scare people away from solidarity with oppressed peoples is an old tactic of the British state. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, thousands of innocent Irish people were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Since then, terrorism legislation has constantly been extended by both Labour and Tory governments. In particular, the Terrorism Act 2000 has allowed the proscription of organisations for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities. Supporting, or being seen to express opinions which invite support for an organisation on the government’s list of proscribed groups is a custodial offence. These proscriptions are, of course, inherently political, and currently being used to criminalise mainly those in the Palestine solidarity movement.
French state terror
While the British state has been stepping up its attacks, so have other imperialist states, often with greater brutality. In France, minister of the interior Bruno Retailleau announced on 6 May the dissolution of several organisations, including the group Urgence Palestine, accusing it of creating ‘a climate of hatred against the French community’. This dissolution is only the most recent one, adding to the long list of Palestine activism groups including the Palestine Vaincra (‘Palestine Will Win’) collective, Islamic organisations and anti-fascist organisations which have been dissolved under successive Macron governments. The French state is also pursuing a number of prominent political figures under spurious terrorism allegations, including Annasse Kazib, a member of Revolution Permanente, and Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, part of the Left bloc. Palestine protests are regularly violently repressed by riot police, while a recent fascist demonstration in Paris was allowed to proceed uninterrupted.
US reaction
In the United States, Donald Trump’s presidency has been synonymous with intensified repression of Palestine solidarity, finishing off the work started by the Biden administration. Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University whose case has attracted international outcry, is still detained more than two months after his initial arrest; in one of his hearings in April the court ruled he was removable under US immigration law despite a lack of evidence. A number of other student activists have similarly been detained or threatened with deportation, such as British-Gambian graduate student Momodou Taal, often with little ability to appeal these decisions. Yet, the student movement continues unabated as the need to resist repression appears as clear as day. Students at Columbia University have staged successive demonstrations against their university’s complicity, including a protest in the Butler Library, after which 33 individuals were banned from campus and a further 65 placed on interim suspensions.
The moment calls for unity across sections of the Palestine movement to fight back against repression. Shamefully, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has placed itself at the head of the movement in Britain, continues to refuse to defend all those arrested for speaking out for Palestine, including the SOAS 2. We must not accept even the slightest attempt to criminalise the expression of dissent. It is obvious to us that the justice system is far from politically neutral, that it is a tool of domination of the ruling class. That is why our defence in the courtroom must similarly be political. In many of these politically motivated cases, we find that a political defence is a successful one, such as in the case of the Starmer 2 – two FRFI supporters arrested and tried for protesting against the Scottish Labour Party’s Winter Gala dinner in December 2023, at which Keir Starmer was speaking. The trial judge finally concluded that it was the conduct of the police themselves which was unlawful. Our ability to defend ourselves in the face of increasing repression will be a real test for Palestine solidarity globally – the fight back starts now! Defend the right to defend Palestine!
Sarah Guebre-Egziabher
FIGHT RACISM! FIGHT IMPERIALISM! 306 June/July 2025
