Authorities say the group planned to damage property owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems

By Oluwaremilekun Sodiq

Six British members of the banned Palestine Action group are now on trial in the UK.

Authorities say the group planned to damage property owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.

Prosecutors told the court on Tuesday that the defendants carefully organised the attack on Elbit’s facility in Bristol, south‑western England, in early August 2024, which allegedly caused property damage and injured a police officer. 

Prosecutor Deanna Heer told Woolwich court that the six men and women were part of a team that tried to “cause as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company.

” They deny charges of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder. One defendant is also accused of causing bodily harm to a police officer by striking her with a sledgehammer while she was arresting another defendant.

Heer said the six used fire extinguishers filled with red paint to spray the walls and smashed computers and technical equipment at the Elbit facility.

Footage from police body‑cameras and the defendants’ GoPro cameras, shown in court, captured them damaging property at the weapons‑making site, which includes drones.

The UK government has designated Palestine Action—an activist group formed in 2020 to “disrupt the arms industry in the UK”—as a terrorist organisation.

The trial is expected to last 10 weeks. Some of the detained activists started a hunger strike this month, protesting what they described as “systematic abuse” by prison authorities.

Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE

KoikiMedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep