Palestine Action: How a UK Activist Group's Global Campaign Targets Arms Manufacturers

In November 2023, an activist sprayed graffiti on the exterior of Leonardo UK headquarters. Leonardo UK supplies Israel with fighter jets and weaponry used in Gaza. In the same month, protesters spray-painted the Rome headquarters of Leonardo, an Italian weapons manufacturer with ongoing contracts with Israel. This action was inspired by a Palestine Action protest against Leonardo’s Edinburgh factory that same month, which led to the factory’s shutdown.

“That was the first movement, where, in Italy, we felt we needed to do something,” said Luca, a representative from Palestine Action Italy, one of several global offshoots of the UK group, Palestine Action. Other groups using the Palestine Action name operate in the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, France, and Canada. Recently, a subsidiary of Elbit, Israel’s largest weapons maker and a target of Palestine Action’s campaign, in Canada was raided and spray-painted by activists from Palestine Action Canada.

Beyond those protesting under the same name, other organizations have adopted Palestine Action’s direct action tactics. These groups physically target arms manufacturers supplying Israel and companies alleged to be complicit in the genocide of Palestinians, eschewing indirect methods like voting or lobbying. As Al Jazeera has reported, similar protest groups have emerged in the Czech Republic and Germany.

France is home to Stop Arming Israel France, dedicated to action against French arms producers. In Italy, 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, initially a small movement mirroring the British group, has gained tens of thousands of social media followers and occupied Leonardo’s facilities multiple times. They collaborate with other Palestine Action groups in Europe to conduct direct action training sessions, teaching participants how to occupy and disrupt the operations of weapons producers. “Palestine Action is the closest way to be against the war. They are creating weapons, we are destroying them,” stated Luca of Palestine Action Italy.

Italian activists are also taking action at sea. Last month, local activists associated with Global Sumud Flotilla Italia (GSF Italy) used three small ships to intercept the Sundaid X, a container ship carrying military cargo. The group claimed the cargo directly supplied the Sigonella naval air base and drone hub, described as a primary logistics pipeline for US military operations and ongoing conflicts in West Asia. Police detained the activists, charging them with 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 significant influences on Italy’s pro-Palestine direct action organizing. When asked about Palestine Action, M noted, “[Italian activists] know them very well.” She believes arrests indicate the group’s effectiveness, stating, “We are disturbing them.”

In France, over 20 activists recently blocked access to the headquarters of Safran Data Systems in Les Ulis, forcing an evacuation of employees and disrupting work for nearly three hours. Safran Data Systems is part of Safran Electronics and Defense, a French company with ties to Israel’s military, including producing fighter jet parts and a partnership with Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael since 2021 to develop sensor technology. “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,” said a spokesperson for Stop Arming Israel France, who requested anonymity. “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 emphasized support for both direct action and other forms of protest for those unwilling to face the risks associated with direct action, such as being labeled “terrorists.”

Occupation is a common tactic that often carries less risk than property damage but can still disrupt operations. In Canada, charges were dropped against activists who occupied a Montreal branch of Scotiabank to protest investments in Elbit Systems. Police removed the protesters in riot gear during the 2024 action. In February, Scotiabank divested from Elbit Systems.

In July 2025, 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,” stated Ammori. Since the proscription, at least 4,000 people have been arrested for charges related to the group, including thousands of largely peaceful protestors arrested for holding signs at demonstrations organized by Defend Our Juries. Palestine Action UK is heading to court to challenge the ban. “Our democracies have failed us; that’s why direct action is important,” said Luca of Palestine Action Italy.

In August 2026, the United States sanctioned Palestine Action along with several other pro-Palestine organizations, impacting Palestine Action Italy’s access to its US-based donation platform. “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,” Luca of Palestine Action Italy predicted. “We are getting ready to face this level of sacrifice: when we have to switch from being considered activists to being considered terrorists.”