LONDON: Prisoners awaiting trial for alleged offenses linked to Palestine Action claim they have faced new restrictions since the group was proscribed earlier this year in the UK, a report in The Guardian said Saturday.
Those held on remand say they have been banned from wearing the keffiyeh, prevented from taking certain prison jobs, and in some cases had personal contacts removed from their call lists.
The restrictions have been applied despite the fact that none of the prisoners have been charged under terrorism legislation.
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service has said, however, that their cases carry a “terrorism connection.”
Palestine Action, which has targeted sites of the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in the UK, was banned in July under the Terrorism Act.
The government said the decision was based on intelligence assessments, including one that cited “the use or threat of action involving serious damage to property.”
Teuta Hoxha, who is charged with criminal damage, aggravated burglary and violent disorder in relation to an action at Elbit Systems in Filton, near Bristol, said she was removed from her prison library job at HMP Peterborough following the proscription.
In a letter she received, the prison’s head of female services wrote: “In July 2025, the home secretary proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000. The offences you are held on remand for are linked to Palestine Action and impact roles that are considered appropriate for you. The library orderly role is not considered appropriate.”
Hoxha, who recently staged a four-week hunger strike, said she also had a scarf she had knitted in the colours of the Palestinian flag confiscated.
She added that her sister had been taken off her call list because of her political views, after she and two other inmates connected to the Filton protest were categorized as terrorists by a joint extremism unit.
Audrey Corno, who is on bail awaiting two trials for alleged Palestine Action protests before the proscription, said: “She (Hoxha) was arrested in November 2024, way before proscription, so it’s completely banal for them to apply this retrospectively, and it’s completely punitive the way that they’re using this.”
Another defendant, Zoe Rogers, awaiting trial in the same case, said she was told a keffiyeh sent to her at HMP Bronzefield had been withheld “because it features branding associated with the Palestine Action Group.”
Supporters of Palestine Action say measures are being applied unfairly and retrospectively.
Sodexo, which runs HMP Peterborough, said it did not comment on individual cases but added: “We take our duty to ensure the safety of our prisons very seriously and will always act in line with national security guidance.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice added that all prisoners were subject to the same rules, saying: “Flags, symbols and other items that might threaten safety, order or security can be confiscated.”
