UK Accused of Using Intimidation Tactics Against Pro-Palestine Activists on Bail

Two young women linked to Palestine Action have been arrested in the United Kingdom over the past week. Qesser Zuhrah, 21, was detained on Monday after sharing a social media post calling for direct action. She was previously released on bail following 15 months in prison awaiting trial and had participated in a lengthy hunger strike.

Four days earlier, Audrey Corno, 23, was arrested on Thursday under charges of tampering with her electronic tag while on bail. The police claimed she broke the condition by having her tag offline for 20 minutes, but she denies the charge. Corno stated that the officers emerged from an undercover car parked outside her home and surprised her after a walk with friends.

Both Zuhrah and Corno were previously imprisoned over alleged participation in separate raids on military hardware manufacturers in 2024, which were claimed by Palestine Action. The group’s mission is to target companies associated with the Israeli war machine.

The High Court ruled in February that the UK’s ban on Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organisation was unlawful, but it remains illegal to show support for the group due to an ongoing appeal. Counterterrorism police stated that Zuhrah’s latest charge was related to posts made on social media, and she was granted bail again on Tuesday.

CAGE International’s head of campaigns, Naila Ahmed, accused the UK government of using “intimidation tactics” against pro-Palestine activists. She claimed that laws targeting Palestine Action-linked activists were designed to criminalise political speech and dissent. Zuhrah and Corno are among those who have been released on bail after being involved in separate incidents.

The police confirmed that Zuhrah was due to appear in court on April 17.

Source: Al Jazeera