SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
palestine action
UK Continues Use of Anti-Terrorism Law to Arrest Palestine Defenders
"1984 has arrived and is alive and well in the United Kingdom," said musician Roger Waters.
Aug 30, 2024
At least a dozen police officers raided the home of British pro-Palestine activist and journalist Sarah Wilkinson on Thursday over "content that she has posted online" that allegedly ran afoul of the United Kingdom's anti-terrorism law.
"The police came to her house just before 7:30 am," Wilkinson's son, Jack Wilkinson, said on social media. "There were 12 of them in total, some of them in plain clothes from the counterterrorism police... Her house is being raided and they have seized all her electronic devices."
Police—who later freed Wilkinson on bail—did not disclose what content she posted that led to her arrest. Wilkinson has been a tireless critic of the U.K. government's support for Israel and has posted many images of the death and destruction in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed and wounded more than 144,000 Palestinians. Israel is on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
"The British prime minister is determined to terrorize into silence critics highlighting his, and now his government's, complicity with Israel and its genocide in Gaza."
Pro-Israel media reported Wilkinson called the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants an "incredible infiltration" and hailed the late Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh—who was assassinated last month in Iran—as a "hero."
Section 12 of the U.K.'s Terrorism Act of 2000 criminalizes anyone who "invites support for a proscribed organization" or "expresses an opinion or belief that is supportive" of such a group. Violators can be punished with up to 14 years' imprisonment and a fine. Hamas is included on the U.K. government's list of proscribed groups.
Critics say the U.K. government uses the highly controversial anti-terror law to silence dissent.
Israel-based British journalist Thomas Cook said in a Friday blog post that Wilkinson's arrest is "definitive proof" that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's "authoritarian purges of the Labour left are being rolled out against critics on a nationwide basis."
"The British prime minister is determined to terrorize into silence critics highlighting his, and now his government's, complicity with Israel and its genocide in Gaza," Cook added.
Musician and staunch Israel critic Roger Waters, who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd, said in a video posted Thursday on social media that Wilkinson was arrested "for standing up for human rights and campaigning against genocide."
"If you allow this to stand, the arrest of Sarah Wilkinson and the persecution of my friend Craig Murray among others, then you have absolutely accepted that England is now a fascist state," Waters asserted, adding that "1984 has arrived and is alive and well in the United Kingdom."
In addition to her pro-Palestine activism, Wilkinson is a news contributor for the Lebanon-based news site MENA Uncensored.
"The pro-genocide U.K. regime has arrested MENA Uncensored's roving reporter and human rights activist Sarah Wilkinson for supporting the Palestinian resistance and relaying what is really happening in Gaza and the West Bank to the world," the outlet said on social media.
Wilkinson's arrest came one week after Syrian-British independent journalist Richard Medhurst was apprehended at London's Heathrow Airport and held for nearly 24 hours for allegedly violating Section 12 with social media posts "expressing an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organization."
Richard Barnard, co-founder of the London-based group Palestine Action—with which Wilkinson has been involved—is also facing three criminal charges for two speeches allegedly supporting a proscribed organization.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Barcelona Dockworkers Vow Not to Load Weapons for Israel or Any Conflict Zone
The move builds on a growing number of direct actions targeting weapons bound for Israel as its bombardment of Gaza has claimed more than 10,000 lives.
Nov 07, 2023
The union representing Barcelona's dockworkers promised Monday not to load or unload military materials onto any ship bound for Israel or another warzone where they could be used against civilians.
In their statement, the Organization of Port Stevedores of Barcelona, OEPB in Catalan, called for a cease-fire in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and every other global conflict.
"We have decided... not to allow shipping activity in our port that contains military equipment, with the sole purpose of protecting any civilian population in any territory," the union wrote. "No cause justifies sacrificing civilians."
OEPB said it was its duty as a workers' organization to "respect and vehemently defend" the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—"Human rights that appear to have been forgotten by the countries that have signed their Magna Carta, and that are now being violated in Ukraine, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and other parts of the planet."
The union's statement came as the death toll from Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip surpassed 10,000. Hamas also killed 1,400 in the October 7 attack on Israel that launched the current bout of open conflict, though Gaza has been under Israeli blockade for 16 years. At least 9,614 civilians have been killed in Ukraine between when Russia invaded on February 24, 2022, and September 10, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said.
In addition to calling for a cease-fire in all global hostilities, the OEPB called on the United Nations specifically to "cease its posture of complicity through inaction" and return to its mission of preserving international peace and security, protecting human rights, distributing humanitarian aid, supporting sustainable development and climate action, and protecting international rights.
"We, several unions active in ground logistics, call on our members not to handle any flights that ship military equipment to Palestine/Israel."
It's unsure how many weapons the OEPB's promise will actually stop from reaching their destination, according to Reuters. Spain exported 1.3 billion euros in military equipment during the first half of 2022, with 9 million of that sent to Israel. However, the Spanish government has said it does not plan to export any deadly weapons to Israel to use in its current attack on Gaza.
OEPB secretary Josep Maria Deop told Reuters Tuesday that the statement was largely symbolic and intended to encourage other Spanish ports to follow his union's example. But he said that military equipment did likely ship from Barcelona and that peace organizations could help the union pinpoint which vessels to avoid.
The move also builds on a growing number of direct actions targeting weapons bound for Israel. It came a week after four Belgian transport unions issued a statement urging their members not to handle Israel-bound military equipment, as Reuters reported at the time.
"While a genocide is under way in Palestine, workers at various airports in Belgium are seeing arms shipments in the direction of the war zone," the unions said.
"We, several unions active in ground logistics, call on our members not to handle any flights that ship military equipment to Palestine/Israel, like there were clear agreements and rules at the start of the conflict with Russia and Ukraine," their statement continued.
Protesters also attempted to block the MV Cape Orlando from leaving the ports of Oakland and Tacoma after receiving word it was being loaded with weapons destined for Israel. They delayed its progress for nine hours in Oakland on Friday and more than eight in Tacoma on Monday.
Also on Monday, more than 75 activists blocked the entrances to a Boeing plant in Missouri that manufactures bombs used by Israel in Gaza, as Middle East Eye reported. The plant had provided Israel with nearly 1,000 bombs including Small Diameter Bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
"We are joining millions of people across the U.S. and around the world in demanding an end to Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and its decades-long occupation of Palestine," Ellie Tang, an organizer with the anti-war group Dissenters, told Middle East Eye.
The protest, which also included members of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee and Resist STL, prevented Boeing workers from entering the plant for a few hours Monday morning, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Members of Palestine Action in the U.K. and Palestine Action U.S. have also carried out several direct actions targeting weapons makers, in particular Elbit Systems, which is Israel's largest arms manufacturer. On Monday, Palestine Action blockaded an Elbit factory in Kent, after which three protesters were arrested. On Tuesday, they blocked off the entrance to Elbit headquarters in Bristol.
In Bristol, police arrested four protesters and took more than three hours to remove the blockade once they arrived, the group said.
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Stop Arming Israel': Protesters Target Weapons Makers Supplying the Gaza Bombardment
"People are rising up to shut down the production of weaponry destined for use in Israel's ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people," Palestine Action said.
Oct 27, 2023
Protesters with Palestine Action on Thursday disrupted three different weapons factories in the U.K. that send arms to Israel as the country continues its siege and bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of people and prompted warnings of genocide.
In the largest gathering, more than 100 people blockaded both entrances to the Instro Precision factory in Sandwich, Kent, which is owned by Israel's largest arms company Elbit Systems. Elbit has also been targeted by activists in the U.S. since Israel began its latest assault on Gaza following an October 7 attack by Hamas.
"Across the country, people are rising up to shut down the production of weaponry destined for use in Israel's ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people," Palestine Action wrote on Instagram.
In a statement Thursday, Palestine Action said that its activists forced the closure of the plant, which "specializes in military-grade electro-optical equipment for target location." Instro Precision has licenses to export ML5b surveillance/target acquisition systems, in particular the XACT th64 sights. Palestine Action said that the plant had sold thousands of these systems to Israel, which are likely used by snipers surrounding Gaza. In addition, it makes components for military ground vehicles and other military electronic equipment.
The protesters carried signs reading "Workers for a free Palestine," "Stop arming Israel," and "U.K. funds genocide," according Palestine Action and EuroNews.
"Free, free Palestine!" and "In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians," participants chanted.
Also on Thursday, a single demonstrator locked themselves to the entrance of the UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS) military drone factory in Leicester, co-owned by Elbit Systems and the French weapons maker Thales.
The factory most likely makes Hermes drone components for Israel, Palestine Action said. Israel has used the Hermes 900 and 450 drones in previous bombing campaigns against Gaza.
"Either dropping explosive payloads for bombing strikes, in the case of the Hermes 900, or by providing targeting for guided missile strikes in the case of the 450, these drones are responsible for vast numbers of Palestinians killed and are certain to be playing a role in the current genocidal terrorism being committed by the Israeli military," Palestine Action wrote.
In a final action in Leicester, a group of activists climbed onto the roof of Howmet Fastening Systems, which makes components for Israeli F-35s that have been used "extensively" in airstrikes over Gaza in the last weeks. The demonstrators used sledgehammers to attempt to disarm the factory.
"These actions represent the strength in numbers of those willing and ready to take direct action to shut down the Israeli war machine—while our politicians and media rally behind Israel's criminality, the grassroots movement against Israel's war machine sees people power as the only way to stand against genocide," Palestine Action said.
The push to target Elbit Systems for its role in arming Israel extends beyond the U.K. On October 19, the U.S. branch of Palestine Action announced a campaign to "shut Elbit down." The group first targeted Elbit's Innovation Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 12, blocking the entrance and coating it in red paint.
Activists returned later that evening to cover the building in graffiti reading, "Elbit Profits From Genocide" and "War Criminals Work Here." Three days later, someone smashed scanners that enable access to the building and covered it with more red paint and graffiti reading, "Gaza Resists" and "Elbit Arms Genocide."
Elbit makes several weapons for Israel including bullets, tear gas, and 85% of the drones used by the Israeli army.
"Solidarity with Palestine mandates that we expose Elbit Systems and all weapons developers as manufacturers of genocide," Palestine Action U.S. said. "Solidarity with Palestine mandates that we take direct action until Elbit can no longer 'innovate' its instruments of surveillance, oppression, and terror from within our communities."
The group is calling on those who don't live near an Elbit location to call its Cambridge tenants and landlords to tell them how they feel about its presence.
Meanwhile, in Roanoke, Virginia, Appalachians Against Pipelines held a rally outside of an Elbit location Friday morning.
"Living in the belly of the empire means we have a duty to intervene as the United States funds and arms genocide," one participant said. "We must continually rise up and fight back until Palestine is free!"
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular