Yesterday, six of the ‘Filton 24’ won a momentous victory, after being found ‘not guilty’ by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court. This is a victory for the Palestine movement, and a defeat for Starmer’s government and the British establishment.
The six were accused of causing £1 million worth of property damage to a factory operated by Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in Bristol in August 2024.
This direct-action protest happened while Israel was carrying out a brutal genocide of the Palestinan people. At that point, the British medical journal The Lancet estimated that 186,000 had been killed in Israel’s siege of Gaza.
And yet, despite this unfathomable bloodshed and destruction, not a single politician, arms manufacturer, or member of the imperialist establishment has faced prosecution for crimes against humanity. The hypocrisy is off the scale.
Not guilty
After 18 months in prison on remand, a trial eventually commenced. The jurors were all found not guilty of aggravated burglary, and there was no overall agreement on the charges of criminal damage and violent disorder.
The five who were bailed left to celebrations and chants of “say it clear, say it loud, Jordan you make us proud!”, with the name repeated for every one of those bailed.
BREAKING: Five of the first six on trial from the Filton 24 have been granted bail after 18 months in prison ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ElppWfRt0d
— Huda Ammori (@HudaAmmori) February 4, 2026
Samuel Corner has been kept in custody for a potential retrial, but a re-run will likely lead to the same result.
Even though the judge had appealed for the jurors to not be “influenced by anything that happens outside court”, it is clear the jury were not duped into thinking that this was the act of random hoodlums attacking any old place of business.
As with previous acquittals of climate activists similarly accused of property damage and public disorder, these jurors – like the majority of the British public – rightly sympathised with the just cause of these courageous protestors.
Alongside this, organisers had put up posters outside the court arguing for ‘jury equity’, reminding jurors that they are legally entitled to find defendants not guilty – even if the evidence suggests they are guilty – if it goes against their conscience.
You love to see it, not a single guilty verdict.
Jury equity is a protected right, you are obliged to do the *right* thing – not enforce excessively restrictive and disproportionate laws. https://t.co/cBgkZeJmNP pic.twitter.com/eZQHfMp6mL
— VX3.XYZ (@Veeeetzzzz) February 4, 2026
State repression backfired
At every step of the way – whether under Labour or Tory governments – the British state has sought to criminalise, cow, and crush the Palestine movement, through mass arrests, intimidation, kettling, and proscriptions.
Yet each time they’ve tried, it has only poured fuel on the anger of the public. People can see through the lies of politicians, their weaponisation of ‘antisemitism’, and their blatant support for Israel’s brutal genocide.
Faced with mass defiance and opposition, the British state’s normal means of repression are becoming a blunted force.
The establishment’s general fear of mass unrest and social explosions – alongside the fact that Britain’s faltering legal system is at breaking point – is why justice secretary David Lammy is seeking to get rid of trials with juries. This also explains the government’s egregious proscription of Palestine Action using counter-terrorism legislation.
Long-established democratic rights – such as the freedom of the press, freedom of association, and the right to a fair trial by a jury of peers – are increasingly becoming incompatible with the ruling class’s need for political repression. This is a process taking place across the world, not just in Britain.
Yet in carrying out these measures, capitalist governments are only adding to the rage that people feel, and further delegitimising the system in the eyes of millions.
100,000 march for Palestine: The movement won’t be brushed under the carpet
Vasco Fernandes, Harrow
On Saturday 31 January, the first Palestine national march of the year took place in London. An estimated 100,000 people marched from Russell Square to Whitehall.
Despite the government hoping Palestine solidarity to whither into thin air, the movement has proven to have enormous reserves of support, and has left an indelible mark on an entire generation.
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People we spoke to understood that, so far, the Gaza ‘peace deal’ delivered nothing substantial to Palestinians. More than 500 have been killed since the ‘ceasefire’ and approximately two million are still living amid the rubble, deprived of all infrastructure and basic care.
A member of Unite, while trying to find his union’s bloc, told us that workers in Britain should follow the example of Italy and “block everything”.
In keeping with their behaviour since the movement began, the police kept itself busy by harassing peaceful pro-Palestine demonstrators, whilst at the same time escorting (i.e. protecting) a small number of rabid Zionist counter-demonstrators, and far-right thugs from UKIP.
13 pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested during the march, including veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
What were their dreadful offences? Holding banners, placards, wearing shirts with references to Palestine Action, or ‘intifada’ – which simply translates to ‘shaking off’ or ‘uprising’, yet this is too much for the Met!
In fact, Thatchell’s placard simply read: “Globalise the intifada: Non-violent resistance. End Israel’s occupation of Gaza & West Bank.”
The RCP was present throughout the mobilisation, and people who we spoke with agreed with our ideas. Almost everyone agreed that a fundamental change in the system is long overdue. This is the case even when they come from quite different political backgrounds, or are not usually engaged in politics.
It was disappointing not to see more presence from the official labour movement, especially the large trade unions like Unison.
A lack of sustained, organised intervention from the trade union movement is something that the Palestine movement has suffered from the beginning. The trade union leaders must step up, and connect the struggle against imperialism to the struggle against austerity and attacks at home.
Nevertheless, the large turnout for the 34th national demonstration for Palestine since 7 October 2023 shows how strong the cause of Palestine is in Britain. The anger that lies behind the Palestine cannot and will not simply be brushed under the carpet.
