"Six members of the proscribed UK direct action group, Palestine Action, go on trial on Monday for allegedly damaging weapons at the UK base of Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in August 2024. The detainees, who are just some of a total of 24 activists linked to the group who have been arrested at different times, have been in custody for more than a year without trial, breaking the UK's six-month pre-trial detention limit."
"Their prosecution, which has drawn international scrutiny, has become a test case for how the British government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer is dealing with pro-Palestine demonstrations, with many UK residents and rights groups accusing authorities of heavy-handedness. Thousands of people have demonstrated in support of the detained group, collectively known across the UK as the Filton24, named after the location of the targeted Elbit Systems offices in Filton, Bristol."
Six Palestine Action members face trial at Woolwich Crown Court in London on charges of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder after an alleged August 2024 attack on Elbit Systems’ UK base. The six are among 24 activists known collectively as the Filton24 who have been arrested at different times and held in custody for more than a year, exceeding the UK's six-month pre-trial detention limit. Palestine Action was proscribed under anti-terror laws in July, prompting mass pro-Palestine demonstrations and arrests, with at least 500 people detained in London on October 4. The prosecution has drawn international scrutiny and political debate over policing and protest rights.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]