# The UK's War on Protest: How Zionist Lobbying and Israeli Embassy Interference Criminalized Dissent

The Timeline: How It Happened

June 20, 2025** — Palestine Action breaks into RAF Brize Norton. Activists on electric scooters spray red paint into the engines of two Royal Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT refuelling planes. The base is used to send flights to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, from where RAF conducts reconnaissance flights over Gaza Strip.

June 23, 2025** — Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announces plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000. The justification: the RAF break-in.

June 30, 2025** — Cooper places the proscription order before Parliament. It's bundled with two neo-Nazi groups: Maniacs Murder Cult and Russian Imperial Movement. MPs must vote on all three together or none.

July 2, 2025** — House of Commons votes 385–26 to proscribe Palestine Action. Labour votes overwhelmingly in favour. The ban takes effect July 5.

July 5, 2025** — Proscription takes effect. It becomes a criminal offence to be a member of Palestine Action, to fundraise for it, to display items indicating support, or to "express an opinion or belief supportive of" the group. Penalties: up to 14 years in prison.

August 2024 — Prior to proscription**, 18 activists are arrested after a break-in at Elbit Systems' factory in Filton, Bristol. Six are held on remand pre-trial. One police officer and one Elbit employee are injured.

October 2025** — Six of the "Filton 24" activists go on hunger strike. Demands: immediate bail, right to fair trial (including access to laptops, lawyers, and redacted documents suggesting Israeli and British political interference), an end to censorship of communications, de-proscription of Palestine Action, and closure of Elbit Systems' UK factories.

December 2025** — Greta Thunberg is arrested at a solidarity protest with hunger strikers. Strikes continue, with some prisoners refusing food for up to 73 days.

February 4, 2026** — Six "Filton 24" defendants are acquitted of aggravated burglary charges. Other charges (criminal damage, violent disorder) result in partial or no verdicts. The acquittals come after bodycam footage shows Elbit security guards apparently assaulting activists with sledgehammers — contrary to prosecution narrative.

February 13, 2026** — High Court of Justice rules that the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful. The court finds the ban constitutes disproportionate interference with rights to free expression and freedom of association under the Human Rights Act 1998. However, the ban remains in place temporarily to allow government time to appeal.

February 20, 2026** — Twelve Palestine Action activists are granted bail. This means 23 out of the "Filton 24" are now out of prison.

March 2026** — Qesser Zuhrah, a "Filton 24" activist who had just been released on bail, is rearrested in a dawn raid by counter-terrorism police using counter-terrorism powers. Activists allege intimidation tactics.

March 31, 2026** — Al Jazeera reports that UK is accused of intimidation tactics against bailed pro-Palestine activists, with several charges dropped and dozens released on bail.

April 28, 2026** — Government's appeal against High Court ruling scheduled to be heard at Court of Appeal.

Two Palestine Action activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and vandalized two military planes before escaping undetected.

The Lobby Behind the Ban: Zionist Influence and Labour Complicity

The decision to proscribe Palestine Action was not made in a vacuum. It came after months of pressure from pro-Israel lobbying groups — and with documented connections between those groups and the Home Secretary who signed the order.

We Believe in Israel: The Campaign for Terror Designation

"We Believe in Israel" (WBII) is a pro-Israel lobbying organization, founded in 2011. It is a side-project of BICOM — "Britain's most active pro-Israel lobbying organization." WBII's founding director was Luke Akehurst, a Labour Party activist who describes himself as a "Zionist shitlord." Akehurst was parachuted into a safe Labour seat in the 2024 election and now sits on Labour's ruling national executive committee.

In June 2025 — just days before Cooper's proscription announcement — WBII published a report titled **"Red Line Crossed: The Case for Proscribing Palestine Action as a Terror-Linked Organization."** The report made the case that Palestine Action should be designated a terrorist organization.

The timing was not coincidental. WBII had been campaigning for months for Palestine Action to be banned. Their campaign aligned with language that Cooper herself would soon use to justify the proscription.

Yvette Cooper: From Labour Friends of Israel to Home Secretary

Yvette Cooper, who announced and implemented the proscription, was previously listed as a supporter of **Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)** — the party's official pro-Israel caucus. After the proscription controversy erupted, LFI removed names from its website, but the connection remained.

Declassified UK revealed that pro-Israel lobby groups and individuals have donated to 13 out of Labour's 25 cabinet members. The list includes Yvette Cooper, Britain's home secretary.

In October 2023, WBII's former director Luke Akehurst authored a letter to the Labour Party objecting to then-MP Jeremy Corbyn's suspension. The letter became a template for Labour's disciplinary apparatus to purge the left.

The Canary reported that WBII "apparently received 'access to classified documents'" as part of its campaign. Cooper's arguments in favour of proscription, the Guardian noted, were "similar" to language used by WBII.

The Pro-Israel Network

The lobbying network behind the ban extends beyond WBII and LFI. BICOM itself — Britain's most active pro-Israel lobbying organisation — coordinates messaging and policy influence across multiple fronts. Research shows that 180 of Britain's 650 MPs in the last Parliament accepted funding from pro-Israel lobby groups or individuals.

The group targeted Elbit Systems over its connection to the Israeli armed forces.

Foreign Interference: How the Israeli Embassy Directed UK Prosecutions

The story of Palestine Action's proscription includes a disturbing dimension: documented attempts by the Israeli Embassy in London to interfere in ongoing legal cases against British activists.

FOI Documents Reveal Coordinated Pressure

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests obtained by Palestine Action reveal that Israeli embassy officials pressured the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to intervene in cases involving the prosecution of UK protesters at arms factories.

The documents show that AGO shared contact details of counter-terrorism police and prosecutors with the Israeli embassy during investigations into Palestine Action activities.

Redactions were made to the FOI releases because disclosure "would be likely to prejudice the UK's relations with Israel."

The "Filton 18" and "Filton 24" Cases

In August 2024, 10 people were raided and arrested by counter-terrorism forces under the Terrorism Act 2006 in relation to the Elbit break-in at Filton. Eighteen activists were held in custody, dubbed the "Filton 18."

In the weeks following the arrests, FOI documents show the Attorney General's Office facilitated Israeli interference by sharing contact details for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the 'SO15' Counter-Terrorism Command overseeing the investigation with the Israeli embassy.

This is a direct violation of the separation between law enforcement and political pressure — but with the twist that the political pressure came from a *foreign* government.

Legal Experts Sound Alarms

Legal experts and rights groups raised alarm at the revelations. The Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism, chaired by former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland Declan Morgan, has warned that current UK definitions of terrorism are too broad, creating "uncertainty and overreach in their application."

The UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism, Ben Saul, stated that the majority of Palestine Action's members "do not contribute in any way to property damage by other members, let alone 'terrorism' which, if properly defined, the group has not committed."

Yet the British government continued to treat the group as an existential terrorist threat while simultaneously sharing prosecutorial details with Israeli embassy officials.

Palestine Action destroys military hardware at Bucks firm.

The Legal Battle: High Court Rules Proscription Unlawful

The February 13, 2026, High Court judgment delivered a devastating blow to the government's justification.

The Court's Findings

In a unanimous decision, the High Court found that:

1. **The proscription was contrary to the Human Rights Act 1998** — it constituted disproportionate interference with rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association.

2. **The Home Secretary failed to follow her own policy** — Cooper did not apply the procedural requirements of the proscription regime properly.

3. **A "very small number" of Palestine Action's actions could constitute terrorist action** — the judges noted that the vast majority of the group's activities were property damage, not violence against people.

4. **Members involved in criminal actions could still be prosecuted** — the ruling clarified that nothing in the judgment prevents prosecution of individuals for specific criminal offences under other statutes.

The judges described Palestine Action as "an organization that promotes its political cause through criminality" — but found that the decision to proscribe it as a terrorist organization was disproportionate and unlawful.

The Government's Response

Despite the ruling, the ban remains in place pending the government's appeal. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the Home Office would contest the decision at the Court of Appeal.

The appeal is scheduled to be heard on **April 28, 2026** — the same date that a new direct action protest group, calling itself "Yvette Cooper," emerged in response to the proscription.

The government has spent approximately **£700,000 defending the proscription** during the judicial review — public money spent to justify a ban that the High Court has now ruled unlawful.

The Human Cost: Hunger Strikes, Pre-Trial Detention, and Police Intimidation

Behind the legal and political machinery are real people whose lives have been upended.

The "Filton 24" Hunger Strikers

Six Palestine Action activists held on remand pending trial began hunger strikes in October 2025. The strikes lasted up to 73 days. Demands included:

• Immediate bail
• Right to a fair trial, including access to laptops, lawyers, and redacted documents suggesting Israeli and British political interference
• An end to censorship of their communications
• De-proscription of Palestine Action
• Closure of Elbit Systems' UK factories

Heba Muraisi ended her strike after 73 days — one of the longest hunger strikes in UK prison history. Four others continued for between 37 and 45 days.

Amu Gib, Amy Gardiner-Gibson, ended her strike after being taken to hospital. She had been refusing food intermittently.

Pre-Trial Detention Beyond Legal Limits

UK law sets a custody time limit of 6 months before a defendant must be tried or released. Yet the "Filton 24" activists were held for more than a year before their trials began.

This is not an accident. It is a feature of how counter-terrorism powers were deployed against the group.

Police Intimidation Tactics

In March 2026, weeks after the High Court ruled the proscription unlawful and 23 of the "Filton 24" activists had been released on bail, Qesser Zuhrah was rearrested in a dawn raid by counter-terrorism police.

Counter-terrorism police snatched Zuhrah in the early hours under Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act and Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

Activists allege this is part of a pattern of intimidation tactics designed to suppress solidarity with Palestine Action despite the legal setback. Socialist Worker reported that "the police arrested one of the Filton 24 group of Palestine activists on Monday in an attempt to intimidate the movement."

The Wider Crackdown

Since the proscription took effect on July 5, 2025, British police have arrested at least 2,545 individuals for showing support to Palestine Action. Most were arrested for holding signs supporting the group in peaceful protests.

Arrests include:

• 29 people on July 5, 2025 (the day proscription took effect)
• At least 70 on July 12, 2025
• At least 100 on July 19, 2025
• 532 on August 9–10, 2025
• 890 on September 6, 2025
• At least 493 on October 4, 2025
• 142 on November 18, 2025
• 90 on November 23, 2025
• 100 on November 29, 2025

One man was arrested and then de-arrested for wearing a T-shirt that read "Plasticine Action" — a mocking reference to the ban.

The cost to London's Metropolitan Police alone for policing the ban over four days was £8.73m, exceeding £10m including investigation and casework costs.

Activists target the Elbit Systems offices in Merrimack, N.H., blocking entrances and painting the facility red, on Nov. 20, 2023.

Who Benefits: Elbit Systems and the UK Arms Trade

The question that the British government has refused to answer directly: who benefits from criminalizing Palestine Action?

Elbit's UK Footprint

Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms manufacturer, has operated in the UK for decades. Its British facilities include:

• **Oldham site** (Ferranti P&C subsidiary) — permanently closed in January 2022 after repeated Palestine Action occupations. Contributed to loss of £2.1bn MoD contract.
• **Aztec West, Bristol** — closed unexpectedly in September 2025 despite lease running until 2029.
• **Leonardo facilities** — targeted with red paint and sabotage.

The Guardian reported that Elbit's UK operations contributed to a £2.1bn contract with the UK Ministry of Defense that was ultimately lost.

The Arms Trade Connection

Palestine Action's campaign has consistently targeted Elbit because of its role in arming the Israeli military during its operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The company supplies:

• Watchkeeper UAV drones
• Hermes 450 drones
• Special mission aircraft support
• Precision-guided munitions

The British government's response to Palestine Action — proscription, counter-terrorism arrests, sharing prosecutorial details with Israeli embassy — aligns with protecting Elbit's UK operations and Israel's arms exports more than it does with maintaining impartial law enforcement.

The "Yvette Cooper" Protest Group

In response to the proscription, a new direct action protest group emerged, calling itself **"Yvette Cooper"** — explicitly naming the Home Secretary responsible for banning Palestine Action.

The group has targeted:

• **Time Logistics** — a Birmingham firm it says transports weapons for Elbit Systems
• **BNY Mellon** — an investment firm it says holds shares in Elbit Systems

This is a form of protest that the government's crackdown has inadvertently created: direct action no longer fears the terrorism label, because the terrorism label has been so broadly and arbitrarily applied that it no longer carries the deterrent intended.

The Intelligence Assessment: What the Government Knew

A declassified intelligence assessment published in September 2025 undercuts the government's public justification for proscription.

The assessment states that the majority of Palestine Action's actions would not meet the legal standard of terrorism. All three incidents which the report states could constitute terrorism relate to property damage — which the assessment itself describes as "typically more minor," including graffiti, petty vandalism and sit-ins.

Alan Greene, a senior counter-terrorism researcher at Birmingham Law School, noted that this reliance on property damage "marks a radical departure" from earlier proscriptions, which targeted organizations that actually killed people.

The report raises questions about whether the Terrorism Act 2000 — designed for groups like al-Qaeda that commit mass murder — is being used as a tool to suppress political protest against arms companies.

What This Means

The Palestine Action case is not about one group or one protest. It is a window into how the British state, under pressure from Zionist lobbying and with documented coordination from a foreign government, has weaponized counter-terrorism legislation to protect corporate arms interests.

The High Court called it disproportionate interference with free expression and association. The UN special rapporteur said it didn't meet the definition of terrorism. The government's own intelligence assessment said most of the group's actions were minor property damage.

Yet the government spent £700,000 defending a ban the court ruled unlawful, arrested more than 2,500 people for holding signs, and shared prosecutorial details with Israeli embassy officials.

This is not how a liberal democracy that respects civil liberties behaves. This is what happens when protest threatens arms profits — and when a foreign government with an active lobbying operation is watching.