Six British members of Palestine Action, a group banned in the UK, appeared in court Tuesday accused of plotting to damage property belonging to Israeli weaponsmaker Elbit Systems.
Prosecutors said the defendants meticulously planned the August 2024 attack on the Bristol facility, which allegedly resulted in property damage and the injury of a police officer.
During the hearing, Judge Jeremy Johnson instructed the jury to set aside personal views on the Israeli regime’s two-year war on Gaza, saying such opinions were irrelevant to the trial.
He also said that questions about the legality of proscribing Palestine Action had no bearing on the case, urging jurors to “judge the case on the evidence.”
The trial is expected to continue for 10 weeks.
Some of the detained activists began a hunger strike this month to protest the “systematic abuse” by prison authorities.
The case highlights the tensions between activists targeting Israeli arms manufacturers over the regime’s atrocities in Gaza and the UK government’s enforcement of its proscription laws.
The defendants face charges related to criminal damage and assault as the trial unfolds, with the court focusing on evidence of planning, intent, and actual outcomes of the August protest.