UK Labels Palestine Action Activist 'Terrorist,' Not Arms Suppliers
Sean Middleborough, a Palestine Action activist, made headlines for skipping out of HMP Wandsworth after being temporarily released. The New Arab reports his rationale: he’s not a terrorist. Funny how 'terrorist' labels get slapped on protesters targeting Elbit Systems—a company that supplies 85% of Israel’s land-based military equipment, including drones used in Gaza (source: Elbit Systems annual
reports, Amnesty International). Meanwhile, the same governments prosecuting activists like Middleborough continue to permit, and even facilitate, these arms transactions. The UK government, for example, approved over £480 million in arms sales to Israel since 2015, despite ongoing concerns about human rights abuses (source: Campaign Against Arms Trade, UK Government export data). One might
wonder: who, precisely, is enabling terror here? The person taking direct action against a weapons manufacturer, or those profiting from the weapons' use?