On Saturday 12th October the Resistance Kitchen marked 67 days that the #Filton10 have been unjustly imprisoned for trying to stop genocide in Gaza.
The Genocide Convention
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide obligates every government, including the UK, to enforce the prohibition and prevention of genocide. The UK has failed to do this by cutting the flow of arms manufactured in the UK being used to commit genocide in Gaza. This has forced courageous individuals like the #Filton10 to put their liberty on the line and physically try to the stop genocide the state is complicit in. They are accused of smashing the research and development hub of Israel’s main armaments producer, Elbit Systems, in Bristol causing over a million pounds worth of damage. The facility was just opened last year by the Israeli ambassador. If the UK followed its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention it should have closed down the facility long ago.
Its interesting that whilst the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was the first human rights treaty unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, on 9 December 1948, the US itself (which helped draft it) didn’t sign the treaty until 1988—a full forty years later, and did so only with a clause excluding it from punishment if it were ever accused of genocide! Every single fighter aircraft used in carrying out genocide in Gaza is provided (free) by the US (with parts manufactured in the UK). This genocide is as much the US’s (and UK’s) as it is Israel’s.
The judiciary which is meant to be independent of the state, rather than bring the state to book for breaking its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention, is instead prosecuting 10 individuals for bravely doing the right thing. And in that political prosecution it has disregarded their legal rights, abused anti-terrorism powers, caged them in solitary confinement for a week of non-stop interrogation without access to their families, and is now imprisoning them for 15 months even though they have not been found guilt of anything.
Join the campaign to free the #Filton10 !
Other Interesting Posts:
“Let my best teacher see my painting” – 6 year old writes to HMP Bronzefield
Letter to HMP Bronzefield – Maltreatment of #Filton10
A Mothers Plea…
Unjustly Imprisoned For Two Months – #Filton10 Day 60
Remembering Wafa al-Udaini
Teacher Joins Pupils In Writing To #Filton10
#Filton10 – Day 46
#Filton10 Preliminary Hearing
Unjustly Imprisoned For Over A Month – #Filton10 Day 32
#Filton10 : Day 25 – Imprisoned For Trying To Stop Genocide
Why is the Met running ‘off the books’ facial recognition surveillance of #Filton10 Palestine protest?
Solidarity with the #Filton10