Braving the dismal weather thousands of demonstrators marched through central London in support of the Palestinian cause last weekend. Over 100,000 protesters took part in what has now become a monthly feature in the capital’s calendar to rally for justice for the Palestinian Arabs and oppose war in the Middle East amid escalating tensions between American imperialism and its lackeys and Iran.

Hypocritical Labour MP John McDonnell praised the Palestine activists recently on hunger strike in prison as “people with a heart-rending conscience that could not stand by to watch the suffering of the Palestinians…so one action we should take is to demand that they are released. No one should be held on remand for over nearly two years. Protests should not be made a criminal act in this country.”

A few days later the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) was welcoming the news that six Palestine direct-action campaigners have been cleared in the Israeli arms factory trial.

The six – who are part of the Filton 24 group of activists – were charged over breaking into an Israeli arms factory in Bristol in August 2024. The jury acquitted or failed to reach verdicts on charges faced by campaigners who took action against Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. PSC said “We’re so relieved for Clare Hinchcliffe and all the families and loved ones of those cleared of charges for now. We call for the immediate release of all of the defendants who have been remanded in custody far beyond the legally permitted maximums on charges that are now proven to be unwinnable in court. The real criminals are not those taking direct action against Israel’s genocide – it is those arming it.”