Latest news with #DirectAction
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Terror charges brought against three women after van is driven into the fence of a defence factory in Edinburgh in pro-Palestine protest
Terror charges have been brought against three women after a van was driven into the fence of a defence factory in Edinburgh in a pro-Palestine protest. The incident happened at the site run by global security company Leonardo in the Pilton area of the Scottish capital on Tuesday morning. The facility, on Crewe Road North, was also defaced with white paint in the direct action by campaign group Shut Down Leonardo. The women, aged 31, 34 and 42, who had earlier been arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 have now been charged. They are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday. Police Scotland's counter-terrorism unit is leading the ongoing investigation - and has appealed for information about the vehicles involved. The crashed large light blue Ford Transit van was seen on Gorgie Road, around a 15-minute drive away, on Monday and Tuesday before the incident. A white Honda CR-Z, a sporty hybrid car, was recovered in a car park off the same A road after the incident. Pictures show a Palestinian flag hanging off the crashed van, which was crashed into a tall metal fence topped with barbed wire. The three women are seen sitting on top of the van, which they appear to be helped down from by emergency workers. A shot of them atop the vehicle sees one of the women smile directly at the camera, while another displays her handcuffed wrists and the last wears a Palestine shirt. Direct action campaign group Shut Down Leonardo has since said the protest was against the factory making laser targeting systems for Israel's F-35 fighter jets. Leonardo has said it does not supply equipment directly to Israel and its main customer is the UK Armed Forces. The firm told the PA news agency: 'Leonardo UK is subject to UK government export controls and does not supply equipment direct to Israel. 'The right to peaceful protest is an important principle in our society, however, aggressive and violent activity should have no place in protest. 'The intimidation of our people, who work hard to support the security and defence of the UK, is not acceptable.' Police have previously said they are treating the incident as 'targeted' and do not think it poses a wider threat to the public. Leonardo's website describes it as one of the biggest suppliers of defence and security equipment to the Ministry of Defence. It operates from nine sites across the UK, employing more than 8,500 people. The force has also asked anyone with information to get in touch by calling 101, quoting reference number 0416 of July 15.
Sky News
6 days ago
- Sky News
Three women arrested under Terrorism Act after van driven into Edinburgh factory fence owned by defence company
Three women have been arrested under the Terrorism Act after a van was driven into an Edinburgh-based defence company's fence. Police Scotland said the three women - aged 31, 34 and 42 - were arrested after a disturbance in the Crewe Road North area of Edinburgh on Tuesday. The force said a van was driven into an external fence of a business premises, and that its Counter Terrorism Unit was leading the investigation. It added: "Enquiries are ongoing. We are treating this as targeted, and we do not believe there is any wider threat to the public." Direct action campaign group Shut Down Leonardo - which said it aims to target aerospace, defence and security company Leonardo's headquarters in Edinburgh - posted a photo of the van. It shows police on the roof of the vehicle, which has a Palestine flag hanging off the back. Shut Down Leonardo claims the factory makes components for Israel's F-35 fighter jets. In a separate post, the group said "we're taking action to shut down Leonardo's weapons factory in Edinburgh" and shared a video of an "action taker" explaining why the site has been targeted. A Leonardo spokesperson told the PA news agency: "Leonardo UK is subject to UK government export controls and does not supply equipment direct to Israel. "The right to peaceful protest is an important principle in our society, however, aggressive and violent activity should have no place in protest. "The intimidation of our people, who work hard to support the security and defence of the UK, is not acceptable. "Our main customer is the UK Armed Forces. We are proud to manufacture technology that supports our service personnel and helps keep them safe. Their dedication underpins the freedom on which our society is based."
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Palestine Action 'sets up a secret website' to recruit new members as support of terror group becomes criminal offence
Palestine Action has created a secret website to recruit activists in an attempt to thwart the Government's terror ban on the group. The organisation is directing its supporters to a secret platform under the name Direct Action Training. Under the website, which was registered late on Friday, just before the ban took effect at midnight, Palestine Action has been privately messaging potential recruits encouraging them to 'join the front line against Zionism', The Telegraph reports. The recruitment message, which was sent on the encrypted app Signal, declares: 'While Palestine Action is banned, we do not want this draconian move from the Home Secretary to deter your dedication to your solidarity with Palestine'. 'Direct action is for everyone, regardless of the name it falls under. We do believe that by staying focused and targeting the heart of the war machine again and again, the people will be able to shut the Zionist supply chain.' The website for Direct Training has its IP address in Iceland, which is not a part of any major international surveillance alliances and is known for its strong data protection laws. To register with the website, prospective recruits are required to fill out a form in which they are asked 14 questions ranging from their personal details to testing their 'dedication to the Palestinian cause'. The form also notes that training be aimed at 'dismantling the Zionist war machine in the UK'. The move comes after the Home Office on Friday welcomed a ban on Palestine Action, with the group failing to block its proscription as a terrorist organisation in a late-night legal bid. Lawyers representing co-founder Huda Ammori, whose father is Palestinian, asked for the decision to be delayed at least until July 21. The designation as a terror group means that membership of or support for Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action argues it is a protest group that has never incited or encouraged violence, but does support civil disobedience. Activists protest against the continuing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since October 7 - when 1,200 Israelis were killed by a Hamas incursion into the country. Police on Saturday arrested almost 30 people on suspicion of terrorism offences after protesters gathered in Parliament Square holding signs supporting Palestine Action, just hours after a ban on the came into effect. Around two dozen people, including a priest, professor and an emergency care worker who is just back from Gaza, sat in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square on Saturday expressing support for the group, which is now a proscribed terrorist organisation. They held signs saying: 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' Shortly after their arrival, police officers could be seen engaging with the protesters and the Met said it had began making arrests. Several people were seen being carried away by officers. A spokesperson for the force said: 'Officers are responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. 'The group is now proscribed and expressing support for them is a criminal offence. Arrests are being made.' They later added: 'A total of 29 arrests were made during this afternoon's protest in support of Palestine Action in Parliament Square. They remain in custody.' Campaign group Defend Our Juries said today's protest will be the first in a series of actions which will see activists take to Parliament Square every week. The Met Police issued a warning ahead of the protest, stating there are a number of events taking place in London this weekend and 'anyone attending should be aware that officers policing these will act where criminal offences, including those related to support of proscribed groups or organisations, are committed'. Proscription makes it a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) to invite or express support for an organisation through chanting, wearing clothing or displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos, the Met said. It is also illegal to belong to the organisation or publish similar signs of support online. Police arresting protesters in Parliament Square were met with cries of 'Met Police you are puppets of the Zionist state' and 'leave them alone'.
The Guardian
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Direct Action review – French activist commune shows everyone how to make a protest count
In France, ZAD – 'zone to defend' in English – refers to plots of land occupied by radical activists with the aim of blocking planned development projects. Formed in opposition to a governmental proposal for a new airport, the ZAD in the Notre-Dame-des-Landes region is the most famous example of this subversive practice. With sublime patience and care, Guillaume Cailleau and Ben Russell's immersive documentary takes us into the day-to-day life of this extraordinary commune, where more than 150 people live, work and organise for change. The popular image of the militant activist in mainstream media is generally reduced to one of joyless aggression and childish petulance; what makes Direct Action particularly invigorating is how it diverges from such sensationalist reporting. While the film briefly begins with videos of violent clashes between police and protesters, much of its 212-minute runtime is dedicated to the unseen pleasures and hardships of collective action. Rendered tactile on textured 16mm film, quotidian routines of kneading bread, cultivating vegetables or tool-making merge into a hypnotic stream of images. Labour emerges not merely as a chore but as the glue that holds the whole community together. During these lengthy scenes, the camera rarely focuses on individual faces, lingering instead on the members' hands as they work on their various tasks. Their actions are, in other words, the limbs of this collective body. This sense of togetherness is expressed aurally as well, with the sounds of manual work cohering into a choral hymn of resistance. This utopia, however, is constantly under threat. When the storm of state brutality finally encroaches on to the screen, the ensuing rupture of calm is startling. The extended nature of the film thus becomes a message of hope; activism is powered, not by overnight victories, but by rituals that persevere against all odds. Direct Action is at the ICA, London, from 21 March
