Palestine Action’s global influence grows despite crackdown, UK ban

London, United Kingdom – In November ۲۰۲۳, protesters spray painted the Rome headquarters of Leonardo, an Italian weapons manufacturer with ongoing contracts with Israel.

The group was inspired by a Palestine Action protest against Leonardo’s Edinburgh factory that same month, which resulted in the factory being shut down.

“That was the first movement, where, in Italy, we felt we needed to do something,” said Luca, a representative from the group, simply named Palestine Action Italy.

It is one of several global offshoots of the proscribed UK group, Palestine Action.

Other groups sharing the Palestine Action name exist elsewhere, including in the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, France and Canada.

Last week, a subsidiary of Elbit, Israel’s largest weapons maker and the target of Palestine Action’s campaign, in Canada was raided and spray-painted by a group of activists operating under Palestine Action Canada.

Beyond those protesting under the same name, other organisations have also adopted Palestine Action’s direct action tactics of physically targeting arms manufacturers supplying Israel and other companies alleged to be complicit in the genocide of Palestinians, rather than pursuing indirect forms of pressure such as voting, lobbying or legal negotiation.

As Al Jazeera has reported, similar protest groups have organised in the Czech Republic and Germany.

Stop Arming Israel France is dedicated to action against French arms producers, while Global Sumud Flotilla Italy works to intercept cargo ships carrying arms-related materials into Italian ports.

“The direct action movement is growing across the world,” Huda Ammori, cofounder of Palestine Action, told Al Jazeera. “In order for the Israeli weapons industry to operate, it requires a global supply chain and a presence in countries across the world. Those sites are pressure points which ordinary people can disrupt to bring down the Israeli war machine.”

Palestine Action Italy began as a small movement mirroring the British group, but has amassed tens of thousands of social media followers and staged several occupations of Leonardo’s facilities.

They work with other Palestine Action groups in Europe to host training sessions on direct action, teaching others how to occupy and disrupt the work of weapons producers across the continent.

“Palestine Action is the closest way to be against the war. They are creating weapons, we are destroying them,” said Luca, a representative of the Italian group.

In Italy’s waters, activists also take cues.

Last month, local activists and others associated with the Global Sumud Flotilla Italia (GSF Italy) group used three small ships to intercept the Sundaid X, a container ship with military cargo.

The group said the cargo directly supplied nearby Sigonella naval air base and drone hub, “serving as a primary logistics pipeline for US military operations and ongoing conflicts across West Asia”.

Police detained the activists, accusing them of disrupting public order.

M, a spokesperson for Global Sumud Flotilla Italia, cited the direct action tactics of climate justice movements like Extinction Rebellion and the work of Palestine Action as important influences in Italy’s pro-Palestine direct action organising.

When asked about Palestine Action, M said, “[Italian activists] know them very well.”

According to her, arrests are a sign the group’s efforts are working.

“We are disturbing them,” she said.

‘Disrupt the merchants of death’

In France last week, more than ۲۰ activists blocked access to the headquarters of Safran Data Systems in Les Ulis, forcing the company to evacuate several employees and disrupting almost three hours of work.

Safran Data Systems is part of Safran Electronics and Defense, a French company with ties to Israel’s military. This includes producing fighter jet parts and a partnership with Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael dating back to ۲۰۲۱, where the two companies have worked to develop sensor technology that “reduced the time of the average time to close a [kill chain] to less than half a second,” a Rafael representative said in ۲۰۲۲.

Stop Arming Israel France, which was among the organisers, focuses on protests and direct action against companies producing military equipment for Israel and trade fairs showcasing them.

“The aim is to disrupt the business-as-usual activities of the ‘merchants of death’ and have a tangible impact on the trade taking place at these fairs,” Stop Arming Israel France’s spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

“The actions carried out by Palestine Action are a source of inspiration for many activists in France and encourage them to take action themselves,” the spokesperson said.

Still, they underlined their support for both direct action and other forms of protest, for those not comfortable with the possible risks associated with direct action, such as being sentenced as “terrorists”.

Occupation is a commonly mirrored tactic that often carries less risk than property damage or vandalism, but can still disrupt the flow of goods and services for prolonged periods.

In Canada, charges were recently dropped against activists who occupied a Montreal branch of Scotiabank to protest against investments in Elbit Systems. The protesters were removed by police in riot gear in the ۲۰۲۴ action. In February, Scotiabank divested from Elbit Systems.

In July ۲۰۲۵, Palestine Action was proscribed as a “terrorist organisation” in the UK.

“Their repression demonstrates to ordinary people how effective direct action is. It is precisely because direct action threatens the Israeli war machine, that they must [throw] everything at our movement to protect the military-industrial complex,” said Ammori.

Since the proscription, at least ۴,۰۰۰ people have been arrested for charges related to the group.

This includes the thousands of largely peaceful protestors who have been arrested for holding signs reading, “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” at demonstrations regularly organised by protest group Defend Our Juries.

On Wednesday, the UK-based group heads to court again to fight the ban.

“Our democracies have failed us; that’s why direct action is important,” said Luca of Palestine Action Italy.

In August ۲۰۲۶, the United States sanctioned Palestine Action alongside several other pro-Palestine organisations. As a result, Palestine Action Italy lost access to their donation platform, which was US-based.

“We’re pretty sure that as soon as they realise how powerful [Palestine Action Italy] is in Italy, they will follow the UK’s footsteps,” said Luca of Palestine Action Italy. “We are getting ready to face this level of sacrifice: when we have to switch from being considered activists to being considered terrorists.”