Five Palestine Action activists convicted of causing over £200,000 in damage to a Barclays bank branch in Burnley could be sentenced as terrorists, following a request by UK prosecutors.
The group—Brendon O’Hagan, 28, Amanda Kelly, 31, Hmeera Atiqnisar, 31, Mohammed Malik, 26, and Alma Yaniv, 70—was found guilty of criminal damage at Preston Crown Court on June 15.
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They smashed windows and sprayed red paint at the St James’s Street branch during a 2 a. m.
protest in August 2024.
The damage totaled £212,805.14. The activists targeted Barclays over its financial links to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Court Considers Terrorist Connection
Following the convictions, Judge Philip Parry said he would assess whether the offenses had a “terrorist connection,” citing a prior ruling from a similar incident near Bristol.
The Crown Prosecution Service argued the activists acted as part of an organized campaign by Palestine Action.
Defendant Mohammed Malik criticized the move.
“The judge and the CPS are now seeking to sentence us as terrorists for red paint and a few splintered windows,” he said.
“This goes far beyond the charges before the court and raises serious concerns about the increasing use of counter-terrorism legislation to persecute political dissent.”
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Malik pointed to a precedent set by Judge Johnson, who sentenced four Palestine Action protesters as terrorists for destroying Israeli quadcopter drones.
“The attempt to now sentence us as terrorists demonstrates the extremely dangerous precedent,” he added.
