Palestine Action ‘Barclays five’ will not be sentenced as terrorists
Sean was instructed post-trial for legal argument over whether Palestine Action protesters should be sentenced as terrorists for breaking windows and throwing red paint at a branch of Barclays Bank in Lancashire, in a protest that took place before Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist group.
The group targeted the site in protest at Barclays because it held shares in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer which provides 85% of the weapons used by the Israeli military.
Following legal argument, the Recorder of Preston ruled that while the damage was substantial, it did not meet the high threshold for a terrorist sentencing.
Speaking after the ruling, the chief executive of Amnesty International UK, said: “The fact that the defendants in today’s case were not sentenced as terrorists is welcome. No one should be treated more harshly under the law because their crimes were part of a protest against genocide or any other issue, and the misuse of terrorism powers in this way should never have even been considered. We now need to see the proscription against Palestine Action lifted and an end to the misuse of sweeping counter-terror powers against direct action protesters. The government should begin the process of reversing the years of attacks on our right to protest, one of the most effective tools we have to hold our leaders to account.”
The case has received widespread media coverage including:
Sean was instructed by Simon Natas of ITN Solicitors.
