Watch our half-hour documentary marking the first anniversary since the launch of direct action network Palestine Action.
The film features interviews with the founders of this bold direct action group, covers many of their actions over the year, and hears from activists, supporters and expert analysts.
Speakers include Andrew Feinstein, who was an MP in Nelson Mandela’s ANC government and who has researched and written extensively about the arms trade. His book The Shadow World – Inside The Global Arms Trade was turned into a film which premiered in 2016. He is joined by Dr. Shir Hever, an economics researcher and journalist, author of The Privatisation of Israeli Security. We also hear from Sahar Vardi, an Israeli Conscientious Objector, who despite being imprisoned three times by the Israeli state, still continues her activism, working with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, and the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement. Asa Winstanley is an investigative journalist who contributes regularly to The Electronic Intifada. We also speak with Chris Coles of DroneWarsUK who is not only an expert on military drones, but also is no stranger to direct action, having caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the nosecones of fighter jets bound for Indonesia in the 90s – his first trial resulting in a hung jury. He was later released having served several months on remand after a second trial did find him guilty (persuaded by new BAe lawyers claiming the company did nothing illegal).
Campaigns such as Palestine Action sometimes attract criticism that they are anti-Semitic, but many of the experts, supporters and activists we hear from in the film are Jewish themselves, and they ask how this is any different from similar campaigns targeting weapons sales to Saudi Arabia for its war on the people of Yemen.
Originally Real Media planned to release a full-length documentary soon after a major trial which was to have taken place in May this year. However, Israel was attacking Gaza once again at that time, and for reasons activists believe may be connected, the trial has been pushed back until next year, so we decided to mark the first year of the direct action campaign with this shorter piece in the interim.
