A statement from the Communist Party on the Filton 25 Verdict.
The Filton 25 verdict is a defeat for the state. After 37 hours, the jury was discharged after failing to reach verdicts on 14 of the 15 charges. Only one guilty verdict for criminal damage. The other defendants were not convicted but face uncertainty over a possible retrial. All spent up to 18 months on remand as terrorist suspects. That is punishment for political solidarity, not justice.
The jury did its duty. That is exactly why Starmer’s government wanted to scrap jury trials for protesters. Juries keep refusing to do the state’s bidding. We demand an end to all prosecutions of Palestine activists, a full arms embargo on Israel, and repeal of the anti-protest laws. The state threw everything at them. The jury threw it back. We stand with both.
END.