European activism for Palestine intensifies as Palestine Action wins bail, lawyers target Elbit, and Stockholm protests annexation plans.
Key Developments
- Twelve Palestine Action activists were granted bail after prolonged detention.
- The UK High Court ruled the government’s ban on Palestine Action unlawful and disproportionate.
- Lawyers filed a war crimes complaint against Elbit Systems UK directors.
- Stockholm protesters denounced Israeli annexation measures in the West Bank.
- Activists link arms exports, annexation, and Gaza’s destruction as interconnected policies.
Bail for Activists
Twelve activists linked to Palestine Action were granted bail by London’s Central Criminal Court on Friday, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn widespread attention across the UK and Europe.
The activists had been held on remand in connection with a 2024 action targeting Elbit Systems’ site in Filton, near Bristol. The group, widely referred to as part of the “Filton 24,” had faced charges including aggravated burglary.
Four of those released — Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, Qesser Zuhrah and Heba Muraisi — had been on hunger strike. Their release follows earlier bail decisions for other defendants and the acquittal of six activists on aggravated burglary charges earlier this month.
A spokesperson for the Filton 24 Defence Committee described the development as a “monumental victory,” noting that 23 of the 24 defendants are now out of prison pending further proceedings.
The legal battle unfolded alongside a major constitutional ruling.
Britain’s High Court recently found that the government’s decision to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful and disproportionate.
Judges concluded that while certain incidents could meet terrorism thresholds, the Home Secretary had failed to properly apply a proportionality test — particularly regarding risks to the right to protest.
The government has indicated it will appeal.
For supporters, the bail decision and High Court ruling represent a broader defense of protest rights in the context of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and UK arms exports to Israel.
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Elbit Systems Targetted
Parallel to the bail developments, lawyers have escalated pressure on Elbit Systems UK, the British subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms manufacturer.
The Public Interest Law Centre (PILC), supported by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), submitted a formal complaint to the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command requesting a criminal investigation into four current and former Elbit Systems UK directors.
The complaint alleges possible complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Gaza.
Filed on behalf of a Palestinian national living in the UK whose family remains in Gaza, the submission asks authorities to examine whether decisions by Elbit’s UK-based subsidiaries — including exports of drone engines, targeting equipment, and military systems — may amount to aiding or abetting grave breaches of international humanitarian law.
CAAT stated that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza “would not be possible without Elbit Systems,” noting that the company supplies a majority of combat drones used by the Israeli military.
The legal move shifts the focus from direct action against factories to potential criminal accountability for corporate leadership, expanding the scope of activism beyond protest and property damage into international law.
For Palestine Action supporters, the court battles and the war crimes complaint are interconnected efforts: challenging both the criminalization of protest and the supply chains underpinning Israeli military operations.
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Stockholm Protest
Meanwhile, Palestine solidarity rallies continue across Europe. On Saturday, hundreds gathered in Stockholm’s Odenplan Square to protest Israel’s latest administrative measures in the occupied West Bank, widely viewed as steps toward annexation.
The demonstration, organized by Swedish civil society groups, culminated in a march toward Sweden’s parliament and Foreign Ministry. Protesters carried Palestinian flags and signs reading “No to annexation” and “Stop the genocide.”
The rally followed the Israeli government’s approval of a plan to register Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank as “state property,” reopening long-frozen land registration procedures and cancelling aspects of Jordanian-era legislation.
Critics argue the move facilitates settlement expansion and formalizes Israeli control over occupied territory.
Protesters in Stockholm connected annexation measures in the West Bank to the ongoing war in Gaza, where more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 171,000 wounded over two years, according to Palestinian and international sources. Nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been damaged.
Organizers announced a new campaign calling for sanctions against Israel and urged the Swedish government to take firmer action.
The protest reflected a broader pattern of sustained mobilization in Europe since October 2023, with weekly demonstrations continuing in several capitals.
Hundreds protest in Stockholm to denounce Israel’s latest measures aimed at annexing West Bank https://t.co/y7s4mDDb0G
— Joe Catron (@jncatron) February 21, 2026
(PC, Anadolu, AJE, MEMO, British Media)
Ok, good. But of course now they’re targets. We need to watch and see what the Israeli Jewish Nazis do next. The 5 heroes here need to be protected. It’s just like the Israeli Jews to kill someone after they were set free.
Level Israel. Flatten it so all the Israeli vermin scatter to the tunnels. F#ck them all. Want to protect the real Semites there? Flatten Israel.