A judge has threatened defendants with a ‘terrorism connection’ if they even attempt to explain to jurors why they targeted a weapons factory.
As the British state seeks to destroy Palestine Action, a new trial is underway in which a judge has threatened defendants with a ‘terrorism connection’ if they explain the motives behind their activism. It is one of three such trials in which the government has muzzled defendants, blinded jurors and banned local media coverage to guarantee convictions. The Grayzone can exclusively reveal that hearings have been underway in the trial of the so-called Teledyne Three. These three defendants damaged the clean room of a UK factory which produces parts for the F-35 aircraft which Israel has used to carry out an array of crimes against civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip, and beyond. They are members of the direction action protest…Open
AI:The British legal system is engaging in a coordinated effort to muzzle activists by threatening defendants with "terrorism connection" charges if they attempt to explain their political motives during trial. In the case of the "Teledyne Three," who targeted a factory producing F-35 fighter jet parts used by Israel, Judge Driver has imposed draconian restrictions that prevent defendants from discussing their opposition to weapons manufacturing and have banned local media from reporting on the proceedings. This move is part of a broader state strategy to criminalize direct action protests against the war industry by leveraging counter-terrorism legislation, following previous trials where activists were sentenced as terrorists despite being…Open
Desperate to secure a conviction of Palestine Action defendants, a draconian British judge has forbidden them from referring to the principle of jury equity in their closing speeches.
It is one of countless restrictions aimed at blocking the activists from mounting an effective defense. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Since the retrial of six Palestine Action (PA) activists began on April 13, the defendants have been barred under court order from using terms like “genocide” or discussing the target of their direction action protests. Meanwhile, supporters of PA have been arrested outside the court for holding signs advising jurors of their right to acquit the defendants based on conscience. Now, a draft court order reviewed by The Grayzone reveals how the presiding judge has sought to comprehensively neutralize the PA…Open
A shockingly corrupted trial that exposes the British state’s weaponization of censorship and secrecy laws has just begun.
The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal details how six activists from the direct action protest group Palestine Action face terrorism charges and the possibility of long prison terms – but the jury in the case is forbidden from knowing this. The UK media is similarly banned from reporting on these facts, while the defendants in the case are blocked by court order from explaining their motives for damaging and occupying Israeli weapons factories on British soil. Blumenthal explains why Palestine Action is being targeted with such a draconian prosecution: because they are effective. Having caused the closure of Israeli factories, they have provided activists around the world with a workable model for raising the cost of occupation and genocide.…Open
'Cops spent hours accompanying the protest and holding off traffic for about a mile, giving them the entire Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge along the way'
