Five Palestine Action activists are set to be sentenced under terrorism-related provisions after spray-painting a Barclays branch and damaging its windows during a protest over the bank's links to Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Brendon O'Hagan, Mohammed Malik, Amanda Kelly, Hmeera Atiqnisar and Alma Yaniv (now known as the Barclays5) were convicted of criminal damage after causing an estimated £212,000 worth of damage to the Burnley branch in August 2024. They were not charged or convicted of any terrorism offence, and the jury was not told terrorism-related sentencing could be considered.
The activists targeted Barclays over its investments in Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms manufacturer, which supplied weapons to the Israeli military during its genocide in Gaza. Palestine Action declared victory after Barclays sold its shares in Elbit in October 2024, while the bank was later named in a July 2025 UN report over its underwriting of Israeli treasury bonds—a practice it has since ended.
Following the trial, Judge Philip Parry said he would consider whether there was a ‘terrorist connection’, citing a recent ruling that saw four Palestine Action activists sentenced as terrorists. The defendants had never faced terrorism charges and were unaware such sentencing was possible.
The decision marks a dangerous expansion of counterterrorism powers. Amnesty International UK condemned what it called the ‘misuse’ of terrorism legislation, while former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warned that the case undermines long-standing legal protections and democratic principles.
