There are currently 6 Palestine Actionists held in British prison for their actions to confront the Israeli war machine on British territory, taking action against Elbit Systems properties and other Israeli arms factories. Dozens of additional actionists are threatened with potential prison sentences targeting their direct action to stop the Israeli arms trade in Britain.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges all support, on the international, Arab and Palestinian levels, to free the Palestine Action prisoners. The Palestinian prisoners’ movement has raised its voice from inside Israeli occupation prisoners to show solidarity with the imprisoned Actionists and demand their freedom.
On Wednesday, 5 July, nearly 80 public figures, activists, academics and lawyers issued a statement of solidarity with the Palestine Action prisoners, saying “We demand the charges are dropped against those already incarcerated and at risk of prison over their work to disrupt the criminal production of Israeli weapons on British soil.” Signatories included musicians Roger Waters and Lowkey, writer and activist Mohammed el-Kurd, Professor Rabab Abdulhadi, South African MP and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, MEPs Mick Wallace and Claire Daly, and many others.
Palestine Action supporters, including Samidoun, are calling for a day of action in support of the prisoners and the campaign to shut Elbit down on Saturday, 22 July. Elbit Systems is the supplier of up to 85% of the drones used by the occupation military to attack Palestinians, including the drone used to assassinate three Palestinians in Jenin just two weeks ago, and of the type involved in the invasion of Jenin refugee camp just this week.
There are currently approximately 5000 Palestinian political prisoners in occupation prisons, including 1083 jailed without charge or trial under “administrative detention.” Just as the arms industry of occupation is directly tied to the British weapons industry and colonialism in Palestine, the imprisonment of Palestine Actionists is part of the same framework of colonial repression targeting the Palestinian prisoners. We urge all supporters of Palestine to follow in the footsteps of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and support freedom for the Palestine Action prisoners — and all Palestinian prisoners and prisoners for Palestine in Zionist, imperialist and reactionary regime jails!
Full Statement of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement:
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful;
A statement issued by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement on the British imprisonment of Palestine Action activists
The British government currently imprisons several members of the Palestine Action movement, which takes action to challenge companies that are directly complicit in the ongoing Zionist occupation of Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people…
Accordingly, we affirm the following:
First: We express our sincere appreciation for the efforts made by the Palestine Action movement, which led to the closure of several sites belonging to Elbit Systems, which specialises in producing drones and weaponry supplied to the fascist Zionist occupation, in addition to confronting the supply chains of the company and others that supply bulldozers and weaponry to the occupation to demolish Palestinian homes.
Second: The Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement condemns Elbit Systems and all British and other companies marketing their weapons on the grounds that they have been “battle-tested” in the Gaza Strip and throughout occupied Palestine.
Third: We condemn the British authorities’ arrest of members of the Palestine Action movement and call on all international legal and human rights organizations to take a serious position, and to take official and popular action to pressure the British government to immediately release the remaining activists, as well as to bring an end to the British complicity with the Zionist apartheid regime, from the issuing of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 until the present day.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement
Sunday 22 Dhu al-Qi`dah 1444 AH
Sunday 11 June 2023 AD
