Palestine Action, also called Pal Action, is a British direct action network founded in 2020 with the stated goal of "ending global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime". With Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems as their primary target from the beginning, the organisation has been active in protests against the Gaza war in the United Kingdom, with many of their most high-profile actions such as the "Filton 24" case coming in response to the Gaza genocide. It is currently proscribed as a terrorist group under the Terrorism Act 2000, making membership of, material support for, or displaying items in support of the group a criminal offence in the UK.
The group uses direct action to disrupt the UK arms industry, which it accuses of being complicit with Israel in conducting a genocide. Palestine Action have mounted 45 documented direct actions in the United Kingdom. Key targets of the group have been British factories of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems as well as RAF Brize Norton, a Royal Air Force base. In their campaigns, Palestine Action have used protest, occupation of premises, and destruction of property, which sometimes resulted in its members being arrested. An action in Filton on 6 August 2024 resulted in a lengthy legal process during which the defendants were held on remand for 18 or more months, during which time some undertook a hunger strike. In May 2026, mixed verdicts were returned after a retrial, and in June 2026 the four activists were sentenced to a total of over 20 years imprisonment.
In a decision subject to criticism from media and human rights groups, the British Government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group on 5 July 2025 under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, citing property damage caused by a group of members at Brize Norton the month prior, where the activists sprayed military planes with red paint. Subsequent reporting has revealed that the UK government had been considering the proscription of the group for at least a year prior to that date. Civil liberties groups criticised the ban as conflating protest with terrorism.
Between proscription and the end of April 2026, British police arrested at least 3,070 individuals for showing support to Palestine Action, many of these resulting from sit-ins in Parliament Square on 9 August 2025 and 6 September 2025, and in Trafalgar Square on 4 October 2025. Further silent vigils were held in November 2025, and during the wave of silent action over 600 more arrests were made.
On 13 February 2026, the High Court of Justice ruled that the proscription was unlawful but would temporarily remain in place to allow the government to appeal. On 15 June 2026 the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court ruling and found the ban on Palestine Action to be lawful. The five judges said that the ban was a "justified and proportionate interference with individual rights". Huda Ammori, one of the co-founders of Palestine Action, said that they would go to the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights in order to overturn it.
On 30 July 2026, the Supreme Court announced that Huda Ammori has been given permission to appeal against the court of appeal's decision, and that the case would be heard by the Supreme Court in the final quarter of 2026. The supreme court said that the appeal was being allowed as it was arguable that the ban represented a disproportionate interference with articles 10 and 11 of the European convention on human rights, which protect the rights of freedom of speech and protest respectively.
History Palestine Action was publicly launched on 30 July 2020 when activists broke into and spray-painted the interior of Elbit Systems' UK headquarters in London. The organisation was co-founded by Huda Ammori, daughter of a Palestinian father and an Iraqi mother, and Richard Barnard, a long-term left-wing activist.
A series of actions principally targeting Elbit and its supply chain followed, causing financial and reputational damage to those companies and resulting in numerous arrests both at the sites of the group's actions and in wider police raids.
In Manchester the day after the October 7th attacks, Barnard, referring to the attacks using Hamas' term for them "al-Aqsa flood", said "When we hear the resistance, the al-Aqsa flood, we must turn that flood into a tsunami of the whole world." Jonathan Hall, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation said that the speech was "in the territory of encouraging terrorism" and that Barnard was "inviting people to do something similar". When this was put to him by the BBC, "Mr Barnard defended his speeches and made clear that he was talking about direct action against those British industries that supply Israel's military."
In August 2024, Barnard was charged with violating the Terrorism Act by "expressing an opinion that is supportive of a proscribed organisation contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000", referring to the Manchester speech and to Hamas, as well as two charges of "encouraging or intending to encourage" criminal damage. He was to appear in Westminster Magistrates' Court on 14 September 2024, and was awaiting trial.
In June 2025, the Home Office announced that it intended to designate the group as a proscribed terrorist organisation after the group broke into RAF Brize Norton, spraying paint into the engines of two Royal Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT refuelling planes. Proscription of the group had been discussed internally by government and police for over a year at that point. On 2 July, the House of Commons voted 385–26 to proscribe Palestine Action alongside two other groups as terrorist organisations. The order was accepted by the House of Lords the following day and Palestine Action was proscribed from 5 July 2025. The High Court had a hearing on 21 July to consider an application for a judicial review to quash the proscription order; a hearing on 4 July declined to grant an interim relief order.
Since 5 July 2025, it has been an offence under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000 to be a member of Palestine Action, to fundraise for it, and to wear or display items arousing reasonable suspicion of membership or support. It is also an offence if someone invites support or "expresses an opinion or belief supportive of" Palestine Action and "in doing so is reckless as to whether a person to whom the expression is directed will be encouraged to support" it. The membership or inviting support offences carry a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison and fines, and displaying supporting items a penalty of up to 6 months in prison. A legal action against the group's proscription has been ongoing since November 2025.
Actions
Actions against Elbit On 19 May 2021, during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, four members of the group dressed in red boiler suits climbed onto the roof of a drone factory owned by UAV Tactical Systems, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, in Meridian Business Park, Leicester. The occupation lasted six days, and a total of 10 arrests were made for conspiracy to commit criminal damage and aggravated trespass. The defendants were cleared after the trial judge instructed the jury to consider the common law defence of necessity and the statutory defence of protection of property under Section 5(2)(b) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971. The same year the group staged similar occupations of Elbit Systems sites in Bristol, Oldham (in collaboration with Extinction Rebellion), and Tamworth (in collaboration with Animal Rebellion). Repeated occupations and damage at the Oldham site (a subsidiary called Ferranti P&C) preceded its permanent closure and sale in January 2022. This series of actions contributed to multi-day shutdowns and potentially contributed to the loss of a £2.1bn contract between Elbit UK and the Ministry of Defence.
In April 2022, two Palestine Action protestors chained themselves to the gates of a factory of UAV Tactical Systems Ltd, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, in Braunstone. Other activists gathered nearby with signs stating "Free Palestine". Three protestors were arrested. A spokesperson for the group said that "Direct action will not cease until all Elbit sites are closed". These and other actions contributed to multi-day shutdowns and potentially contributed to the loss of a £2.1bn contract between Elbit UK and the Ministry of Defence.
In April 2024, Somerset County Hall, a Grade II-listed public building owned by Somerset Council, was splashed with red paint after a Palestine Action protest. The protest was related to the council's leasing of a building in the Aztec West business park to arms company Elbit Systems UK.
Instro Precision action
On 17 June 2024, seven activists were arrested at the main facility of Instro Precision in Sandwich, Kent. Instro Precision is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, specialising in laser targeting, night vision and fire control equipment. Nine activists were ultimately charged with criminal damage, burglary with intent and violent disorder. A trial date has been set for 5 October 2026 at the Old Bailey.
According to press reporting, the Crown Prosecution Service is considering applying for a “terrorism connection” to be applied under Section 69 of the Sentencing Act, which will be determined by a Judge at sentencing, if the defendants are convicted.
The following month, Hydrafeed, a manufacturer of machining automation equipment for CNC turning and milling applications, was attacked by Palestine Action activists accusing it of supplying Instro Precision with machinery used for manufacturing military equipment. Hydrafeed denied having any affiliation with Elbit Systems, claiming "Hydrafeed would like to inform all of our customers and suppliers that we have absolutely no connection with the aforementioned company. We do not supply and never have supplied Elbit Systems with any of our products... This act of vandalism on Hydrafeed's property and machines was completely unfounded."
Palestine Action said they had written to Hydrafeed "to explain that Instro Precision is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, showing evidence of their business relationship with the Israeli arms maker." Later in the year Hydrafeed allegedly broke off all ties with Elbit Systems, reportedly sending an email to Palestine Action reading; "Hydrafeed has made it clear to Instro Precision that it is not prepared to provide any sales or services of its products to Instro Precision, its parent company Elbit Systems or any of Elbit Systems subsidiaries now or in the future." Multiple shutdowns and damage at the site resulted in an estimated £1 million+ in losses and temporary immobilisation of the facility.
In subsequent press reporting, it was alleged that cargo documents confirmed Instro Precision has been shipping targeting equipment to Israel amid the Gaza genocide, with military tripods, tripod support systems, radar kits, and aerial reflectors among the items being sent from Instro's facility in Sandwich, Kent to Elbit factories in Israel between November 2023 and May 2025.
Filton 24 raid and trial
On 6 August 2024, 6 activists drove a repurposed prison van into Elbit's compound at Aztec West, breached security fences, entered the facility and caused substantial damage to property and equipment. The action also involved confrontations with security personnel and police, during the course of which a police officer sustained a fracture to her lumbar spine. Six activists were arrested at the scene and there were raids on homes subsequently. 24 people were charged in all.