Published on 12/6/2026
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Last update: 22:29 (Mecca time)
Today, Friday, a judge at Woolwich Court, east of London, ruled that the raid by four activists from the “Action for Palestine” movement into an Israeli military industries company in Britain was related to terrorism.
Al Jazeera correspondent Mina Harblo said that this unprecedented judicial ruling caused widespread shock among supporters of Palestine, and political and human rights criticism in Britain, amid massive demonstrations in front of the court headquarters, which included arrests carried out by the police against those in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The British Labor Party entered directly into the crisis line. The party’s prominent representative, John McDonnell, expressed his full solidarity with the activists being tried, describing their step as brave and bold.
In exclusive statements to Al Jazeera, McDonnell said that the youth’s steps came from a purely humanitarian motive aimed at protecting civilians, adding, “A number of young people took direct measures with the motive of saving lives, and with the aim of ensuring that the weapons used to kill Palestinian children are not handed over to the Israeli army.”
He continued, “Many of us feel that this act is characterized by courage and merit, and what we absolutely do not accept is describing this act as terrorism.”
Behind the scenes of Operation Felton
The background of the case goes back about two years, when 4 activists belonging to the “Filton 24” group managed to storm the weapons factory of the Israeli company “Elbit Systems” in the Filton area in southwest England.
According to the trial data reported by Al Jazeera’s correspondent, the activists succeeded in destroying about 40 of the company’s military assets and equipment, and completely disrupting the production lines for several days to prevent these military supplies from reaching Israel.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that Elbit Systems is the primary supplier to the Israeli occupation army. It supplies the occupation with about 85% of the drones and aerial equipment used directly in the bombing and killing of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, which made the factory a legitimate target for humanitarian civil disobedience steps.
“Biased judiciary”
Human rights circles in Britain directed sharp criticism at Judge Jeremy Johnson, accusing him of clear bias in favor of the Israeli narrative and of trying to please Tel Aviv’s allies by linking peaceful activity to strict anti-terrorism laws.
In this context, human rights leaders who participated in the solidarity demonstration in London confirmed that Britain is currently standing at a critical and dangerous turning point in its judicial history. Activists convicted of an ordinary criminal charge of damaging property have never been sentenced to terrorism.
The leaders considered that passing this ruling puts the British judiciary on the verge of tyranny, and represents a blatant violation of state authority against civil liberties and the right to peaceful assembly.
For their part, the defense lawyers for the accused announced their intention to appeal the judicial decision, at a time when human rights activists fear that this conviction will be a prelude to imposing a comprehensive ban on the “Action for Palestine” movement – which was previously banned – and officially classifying it as a terrorist group, which constitutes a fatal blow to freedom of expression related to supporting the Palestinian people in Britain.
