Five Palestine Action activists who vandalized a Barclays bank branch in England will not be sentenced as terrorists, a judge ruled Friday, saying the 2024 attack did not meet the legal threshold for terrorism-related sentencing.
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Demonstrators sit outside the Westminster Magistrates Court in London in July, as a plea hearing for 25 people accused of showing support for Palestine Action takes place. Credit: AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
Demonstrators sit outside the Westminster Magistrates Court in London in July, as a plea hearing for 25 people accused of showing support for Palestine Action takes place. Credit: AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
The activists, known as the “Barclays five,” were convicted in June of causing more than £200,000 ($270,000) in damage after smashing windows and throwing red paint at a Barclays branch in Burnley, Lancashire, in protest over the bank’s financial ties to Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems, according to The Guardian.
Judge Altham, the recorder of Preston, ruled that while the damage was significant, it did not justify a terrorism-related sentencing enhancement. He noted that the branch was not a sensitive target, such as an arms company facility, unlike previous Palestine Action cases involving direct attacks on defense-related sites, The Guardian reported.
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A demonstrator is arrested by the police outside the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, July, as a plea hearing for 25 people accused of showing support for Palestine Action takes place. Credit: Alberto Pezzali/AP
A demonstrator is arrested by the police outside the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, July, as a plea hearing for 25 people accused of showing support for Palestine Action takes place. Credit: Alberto Pezzali/AP
The five activists – Brendon O’Hagan, Amanda Kelly, Hmeera Atiqnisar, Mohammed Malik and Alma Yaniv – will still be sentenced next month for criminal damage, but will face shorter prison terms as a result of the ruling.