Yesterday morning, Palestine Action co-founder Richard Barnard appeared at Westminster Magistrate’s Court for a plea hearing, after being charged for alleged offences pertaining to two speeches he made in October 2023. The speeches took place a month before a six-week trial in which eight Palestine Action supporters walked free over more than two dozen charges after the jury either failed to reach verdicts or acquitted them.
Barnard was found not guilty of encouraging criminal damage during that trial, but is now facing two new charges under the same offence (Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007), along with a new charge of expressing an opinion or belief that was supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, or being reckless as to whether it encouraged support of that organisation, contrary to Section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The decision to charge him under Terrorism legislation came after 10 activists from Palestine Action were detained without charge for seven days under that same legislation, following their action which is claimed to have cost Israel’s biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems, over £1million in damages. They were eventually charged under other more standard criminal legislation, leaving Barnard the first Palestine Actionist to face terrorism charges. There are currently 16 people in prison, some on remand, in a deepening clampdown on the campaign against Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.
Fellow co-founder Huda Ammori said that it was revealed in court the new Attorney General Richard Hermer had decided to proceed with the terrorism charge, despite his supposed pro-Palestinian signalling, and it reveals the new government is more determined to crack down on citizens who believe they are acting in line with international law, than to confront Israel and Elbit Systems, a company complicit and profiting directly from the war on Gaza.
Yesterday, Barnard’s barrister, Audrey Mogan, argued that he could not enter a plea because the Crown had not provided the full evidence they relied on, and also overturned their request for bail conditions preventing him from attending ANY protest or demonstration. He as given unconditional bail and ordered to appear at the Old Bailey on October 4th to enter a plea on the three charges against him.
Supporters rallied outside the court yesterday with various banners including a huge one calling to “Stop Arming Israel”.
