Palestine Action ‘Barclays five’ won't face terrorism sentences, UK judge rules

Five members of the Palestine Action group convicted over an attack on a Barclays Bank that caused damage of £200,000 ($280,000) will not be sentenced under terrorism provisions, a judge ruled Friday.

The five defendants, known as the “Barclays five,” were convicted over the Aug. 5, 2024, attack on the bank’s St James’s Street branch in Burnley, Lancashire.

The defendants said the action was intended to pressure Barclays to withdraw financial support for Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, according to a report by The Guardian.

They said they did not know their cases could be considered under terrorism legislation until after their convictions.

Palestine Action was not a proscribed terrorist organization when the attack took place. The UK government proscribed the group in July 2025 following a series of direct-action protests targeting Elbit Systems over its links to the Israeli military.

Judge Robert Altham, recorder of Preston, ruled that Section 69 of the Sentencing Act, which can establish a terrorism connection to criminal damage, did not apply in the case.

“Whilst the damage is undoubtedly significant, I’m not satisfied it amounts to serious damage for the purposes of the Terrorism Act,” Altham said. “Section 69 does not apply in this case.”

The judge said the damage, although substantial, was not comparable to the scale of other attacks and was not carried out against a sensitive site such as an arms manufacturer.

The five defendants will instead be sentenced for criminal damage next month at Preston Crown Court.