Vindicated: Filton 6 victory

Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) welcomes this decision by a British jury to find activists not guilty, whose only crime was to try to stop the delivery of arms to genociders. For putting morality above obedience, the accused are part of a long tradition of standing up to corrupt governments and the crimes they actively promote or silently endorse.

This is a bitter defeat for genocide participants in the UK government and arms companies, delivered by a jury of citizens who know right from wrong. Jurors grasped the morality, as many judges do not, of support for the violated Palestinian people and the imperative of challenging the ultimate crime, genocide, perpetrated by Israel with the active support of the RAF and other sections of the British military, arms companies and other corporate and institutional elites in media, sports, culture, education and medicine. This is yet another reason why we must cherish and defend the jury system, however imperfect, against this corrupt, pro-genocide UK Government, which would weaken it.

Contrast the courage of the accused with the active complicity or strict silence of so many, and the failing efforts of police and prosecutors to silence and intimidate supporters of Palestine. Israel's murderous mayhem continues with British weapons and political and economic support.

We are in active solidarity with the six vindicated in court today, those still held without trial for long periods, and the thousands awaiting trial on fake 'terrorism' charges. They and we will never desert the Palestinian people under the murderous Israeli jackboot. We will not be intimidated from our duty of opposing the genocide and the corrupt government which continues to participate in it.

While the names of Mandelson, Starmer, Sarwar - everyone associated with this criminal regime - will forever be remembered with loathing and contempt, those who stand resolutely against the genocide will be remembered by Palestinians
now and when their hour of victory finally arrives.