A United Kingdom court has ruled that five activists convicted over a protest at a Barclays Bank branch will not be sentenced as terrorists, despite their links to the banned Palestine Action group.
Brendon O’Hagan, Amanda Kelly, Hmeera Atiqnisar, Mohammed Malik and Alma Yaniv were convicted in June for damaging the bank’s Burnley branch during a protest in August 2024.
They smashed windows and threw red paint at the building, causing about £200,000 in damage. The activists said they were protesting Barclays’ alleged links to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Terrorism sentencing was considered after the guilty verdicts, when Judge Philip Parry asked whether the offences had a “terrorist connection”.
The defendants argued that Palestine Action had not been banned when the incident occurred and that terrorism laws should not apply.
At Preston Crown Court on Friday, the judge ruled that the case did not meet the legal threshold for terrorism sentencing. The five will be sentenced next month. In a statement, they said they were “extremely relieved that the court has seen sense”, arguing that terrorism sentencing should never have been an option.
They also criticised the proscription of Palestine Action and the use of terrorism laws against pro-Palestinian activists, alleging that the measures could protect Israel’s weapons industry.
The UK government has defended the group’s proscription.
