OVER 100 protesters gathered outside the Old Bailey yesterday in support of the Filton 18, activists from Palestine Action after initially being detained under the Terrorism Act.
The group is accused of causing over £1 million worth of damage to the Filton-based research hub of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer.
Dara Snead from Reading, representing the group Defend Our Juries, told News Line: ‘I am here because of the unfair treatment of people for speaking out against the atrocities committed against the Palestinians. Keir Starmer backs Israel and kneels to the US.
‘The UK government on the whole is pressing forward with their authoritarian treatment of protesters. The rest of the country needs to wake up and see that the government is imprisoning people on terrorism charges without any evidence to support that.
‘A general strike to bring down the Starmer government and move forward to a workers’ government and socialism is a good idea.’
Lex Korte, a legal campaigner for Defend Our Juries and Free Political Prisoners, stated: ‘We are here in solidarity with the Palestine Action prisoners.
‘They have been remanded for fighting for Palestinian freedom. Today’s hearing is happening because the prosecution wants to link terrorism to normal criminal charges. This minimises the prisoners’ ability to explain their motivations.
‘The state is using sleight of hand to deny prisoners their basic rights. There is evidence that Elbit, which produces weapons parts for Israel, has held meetings with representatives from both the previous Tory government and now our current Labour government.
‘A general strike is needed to bring down the Starmer government and the corporate power supporting Israel. We need to move towards a workers’ and people’s government to support Palestine and broader liberation movements, and we need socialism for the lives of people in Britain.’
Retired City worker Richard Stapelton also expressed solidarity, saying: ‘I am here to support the Filton 18 who have been unjustly detained by a state supporting an ongoing genocide in both Gaza and the West Bank. Our government in the UK is complicit, as is the US and other Western governments.
‘The Filton 18 are protesting against genocide in alignment with international law and the decisions of the ICJ and the ICC, whereas the UK government is not. This is all about shutting down Palestine protest. The UK government is acting like a terrorist; the protesters are not terrorists at all. A general strike is a good idea – I am for revolution myself.’
Tom, a documentary filmmaker who preferred not to provide his surname, added: ‘I am here to support the Filton 18.
‘It’s important to make a statement by being here to show the government we do not tolerate this new, obscene criminalisation of protest.
‘We demand that this government stop its complicity with Israel. I agree with the UK unions calling for a general strike to bring down the Starmer government and establish a workers’ government that will support Palestine.’
