London, United Kingdom – In November 2023, protesters spray painted the Rome headquarters of Leonardo, an Italian weapons manufacturer with ongoing contracts with Israel.
asserted
protesters → paint → Israel
The group was inspired by a Palestine Action protest against Leonardo’s Edinburgh factory that same month, which resulted in the factory being shut down.
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factory → inspire → factory
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“That was the first movement, where, in Italy, we felt we needed to do something,” said Luca, a representative from the group, simply named Palestine Action Italy.
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Luca → arrest → group
It is one of several global offshoots of the proscribed UK group, Palestine Action.
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It → proscribe → group
Other groups sharing the Palestine Action name exist elsewhere, including in the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, France and Canada.
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groups → share → Netherlands
Last week, a subsidiary of Elbit, Israel’s largest weapons maker and the target of Palestine Action’s campaign, in Canada was raided and spray-painted by a group of activists operating under Palestine Action Canada.
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subsidiary → raid → Canada
Beyond those protesting under the same name, other organisations have also adopted Palestine Action’s direct action tactics of physically targeting arms manufacturers supplying Israel and other companies alleged to be complicit in the genocide of Palestinians, rather than pursuing indirect forms of pressure such as voting, lobbying or legal negotiation.
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organisations → protest → voting
As Al Jazeera has reported, similar protest groups have organised in the Czech Republic and Germany.
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groups → report → Republic
Stop Arming Israel France is dedicated to action against French arms producers, while Global Sumud Flotilla Italy works to intercept cargo ships carrying arms-related materials into Italian ports.
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Stop → arm → ports
“The direct action movement is growing across the world,” Huda Ammori, cofounder of Palestine Action, told Al Jazeera.
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Ammori → grow → Jazeera
“In order for the Israeli weapons industry to operate, it requires a global supply chain and a presence in countries across the world.
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it → operate → world
Those sites are pressure points which ordinary people can disrupt to bring down the Israeli war machine.”
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people → disrupt → machine
Palestine Action Italy began as a small movement mirroring the British group, but has amassed tens of thousands of social media followers and staged several occupations of Leonardo’s facilities.
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Italy → begin → facilities
They work with other Palestine Action groups in Europe to host training sessions on direct action, teaching others how to occupy and disrupt the work of weapons producers across the continent.
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They → work → continent
They are creating weapons, we are destroying them,” said Luca, a representative of the Italian group.
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Luca → create → group
In Italy’s waters, activists also take cues.
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activists → take → cues
Last month, local activists and others associated with the Global Sumud Flotilla Italia (GSF Italy) group used three small ships to intercept the Sundaid X, a container ship with military cargo.
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activists → associate → cargo
The group said the cargo directly supplied nearby Sigonella naval air base and drone hub, “serving as a primary logistics pipeline for US military operations and ongoing conflicts across West Asia”.
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cargo → say → Asia
Police detained the activists, accusing them of disrupting public order.
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Police → detain → 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 important influences in Italy’s pro-Palestine direct action organising.
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M → cite → organising
When asked about Palestine Action, M said, “[Italian activists] know them very well.”
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activists → ask → them
According to her, arrests are a sign the group’s efforts are working.
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efforts → accord → her
“We are disturbing them,” she said.
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she → disturb → them
‘Disrupt the merchants of death’
In France last week, more than 20 activists blocked access to the headquarters of Safran Data Systems in Les Ulis, forcing the company to evacuate several employees and disrupting almost three hours of work.
Safran Data Systems is part of Safran Electronics and Defense, a French company with ties to Israel’s military.
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Systems → disrupt → military
This includes producing fighter jet parts and a partnership with Israeli arms manufacturer Rafael dating back to 2021, where the two companies have worked to develop sensor technology that “reduced the time of the average time to close a [kill chain] to less than half a second,” a Rafael representative said in 2022.
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representative → include → 2022
Stop Arming Israel France, which was among the organisers, focuses on protests and direct action against companies producing military equipment for Israel and trade fairs showcasing them.
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which → arm → them
“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,” Stop Arming Israel France’s spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
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who → disrupt → Israel
“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 said.
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spokesperson → carry → action
Still, they underlined their support for both direct action and other forms of protest, for those not comfortable with the possible risks associated with direct action, such as being sentenced as “terrorists”.
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they → underline → terrorists
Occupation is a commonly mirrored tactic that often carries less risk than property damage or vandalism, but can still disrupt the flow of goods and services for prolonged periods.
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that → mirror → periods
In Canada, charges were recently dropped against activists who occupied a Montreal branch of Scotiabank to protest against investments in Elbit Systems.
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who → drop → Systems
The protesters were removed by police in riot gear in the 2024 action.
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protesters → remove → action
In February, Scotiabank divested from Elbit Systems.
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Scotiabank → divest → Systems
In July 2025, Palestine Action was proscribed as a “terrorist organisation” in the UK.
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Action → proscribe → UK
“Their repression demonstrates to ordinary people how effective direct action is.
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action → demonstrate → people
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,” said Ammori.
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Ammori → threaten → complex
Since the proscription, at least 4,000 people have been arrested for charges related to the group.
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people → arrest → group
This includes the thousands of largely peaceful protestors who have been arrested for holding signs reading, “I oppose genocide.
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I → include → genocide
I support Palestine Action” at demonstrations regularly organised by protest group Defend Our Juries.
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I → support → Juries
On Wednesday, the UK-based group heads to court again to fight the ban.
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group → base → ban
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
