Strike Palestine: Over 1,600 UK Candidates Commit to Supporting Palestinian Rights
More than 1,600 candidates standing in the UK's forthcoming local elections in May have signed a "Pledge for Palestine," committing to support Palestinian rights if elected, as part of Strike Palestine initiatives organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.[1] This development highlights growing engagement in pro-Palestine advocacy amid ongoing activities across universities, courts, and international legal fronts.
Recent Pledges in UK Elections
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has spearheaded a significant effort in the lead-up to the UK's May local elections, securing pledges from more than 1,600 candidates across various regions.[1] These candidates have explicitly committed to advancing Palestinian rights should they secure victory at the polls. The initiative, dubbed the "Pledge for Palestine," represents a coordinated push to integrate pro-Palestine positions into local governance.[1]
Details from the campaign reveal that this pledge is positioned as a major pro-Palestine commitment, with participants drawn from the pool of candidates contesting seats in these elections.[1] The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, known for organizing large-scale events such as a march in central London on 29 November 2025, has framed the pledge as a direct call to action for elected officials.[1] By signing on, candidates align themselves with broader advocacy goals, promising to prioritize Palestinian rights in their decision-making processes once in office.[1]
This level of participation—over 1,600 signatories—underscores the scale of interest within the political landscape ahead of the elections.[1] The campaign's revelation through Middle East Eye emphasizes the pledge's timeliness, coming as local elections approach and coinciding with heightened public discourse on Palestine-related issues.[1] The structure of the pledge ensures that supporters are bound to specific actions supporting Palestinian rights, potentially influencing local policies on related matters if a substantial number are elected.[1]
The involvement of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign adds organizational weight, leveraging its history of mobilization to amplify the pledges' impact.[1] As candidates prepare for the May vote, this pledge serves as a benchmark for tracking pro-Palestine stances in upcoming results.[1]
Surveillance of Pro-Palestine Activities
Twelve British universities have engaged the services of Horus Security Consultancy Limited to monitor pro-Palestine student activities, particularly on social media platforms.[2][4] A joint investigation by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates uncovered that these top UK institutions paid the firm to track student protesters involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations.[2]
Horus Security has received at least £440,000 from these universities since 2022 for its services, which include scrutinizing social media feeds of students engaged in such activities.[4] This arrangement has drawn attention for its focus on pro-Palestine protesters, with the firm tasked to gather intelligence on their online behaviors and protest involvements.[2][4]
The universities' decision to hire external surveillance reflects a response to campus protests related to Palestine, where students have been vocal in their advocacy.[4] Specific examples include activities at institutions like Oxford University, where banners proclaiming a "people's university for Palestine" have appeared, as noted in imagery from May 2024.[4] The monitoring extends to detailed analysis of social media, providing universities with reports on student-led pro-Palestine efforts.[2]
Critics have highlighted the breadth of this surveillance, questioning its implications for student privacy and free expression on campuses.[4] The payments to Horus Security, totaling over £440,000 across the 12 universities, indicate a sustained investment in these monitoring operations since 2022.[4] This practice has been described in investigations as "spying," emphasizing the covert nature of reviewing personal social media activities.[2]
Pro-Palestine students at UK universities being monitored by a hired firm. — Source: thenewarab
Jeremy Corbyn's Criticism of University Surveillance
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has publicly condemned the actions of UK universities in hiring Horus Security, labeling it a move toward a "surveillance state."[4] Corbyn's remarks specifically target the 12 British universities that have paid the firm at least £440,000 since 2022 to monitor pro-Palestine students' social media activities.[4]
In his statement, Corbyn slammed the surveillance as an overreach, drawing parallels to broader concerns about state-like monitoring of dissent.[4] He referenced the firm's role in going through students' social media feeds, particularly those involved in pro-Palestine protests.[4] This criticism comes in the context of visible campus activism, such as the banner at Oxford University reading "Welcome to the people's university for Palestine" spotted on 7 May 2024.[4]
Corbyn's intervention underscores political opposition to the universities' tactics, framing them as excessive in response to student-led pro-Palestine efforts.[4] The £440,000 figure highlights the financial commitment to this surveillance, which Corbyn views as emblematic of wider trends in monitoring advocacy.[4]
Legal Actions Against Activists
Defendants from the group Palestine Action, facing charges related to a raid on an Israeli-owned factory, told a London court they intended to "destroy as many weapons as possible."[3] The proceedings involved jurors being shown photographs of items identified by a defendant as a "battle simulator" and quadcopter military drones damaged during the raid.[3]
The factory targeted was Elbit Systems near Bristol, described as Israeli-owned.[3] Palestine Action activists carried out the raid, with their stated objective centered on dismantling what they viewed as weapons production.[3] Court testimony detailed their aim to maximize destruction of such equipment, as evidenced by the damaged quadcopter drone imagery supplied in the case.[3]
Jurors received visual evidence from the scene, including the battle simulator and drones, reinforcing the defendants' declarations of intent.[3] This legal action stems directly from the activists' intervention at the Elbit facility, highlighting tensions around direct action against perceived military suppliers.[3]
The court's examination of these elements provides insight into the motivations behind the raid, with defendants openly articulating their goal of weapons destruction.[3]
International Legal Challenges
A pro-Palestine campaign group in France, the French Jewish Union for Peace, has filed a lawsuit against FedEx, accusing its French subsidiary of "complicity in genocide" related to Gaza.[5] The complaint centers on allegations that the company facilitated the transfer of military equipment to Israel.[5]
Filed in a French court, the action targets FedEx Corporation's operations in Ennery, northeastern France, as symbolized by its logo there on 24 March 2026.[5] The French Jewish Union for Peace claims that these transfers contribute to activities in Gaza, framing FedEx's role as enabling genocide.[5]
This international legal challenge marks a significant escalation in accountability efforts against logistics firms involved in military supply chains.[5] The lawsuit's focus on the French subsidiary underscores cross-border dimensions of pro-Palestine litigation.[5]
Defendants from Palestine Action in a UK court proceeding. — Source: middleeasteye
Broader Context of Pro-Palestine Efforts
These developments—ranging from electoral pledges to surveillance, court cases, and international lawsuits—interconnect as facets of sustained pro-Palestine advocacy in the UK and beyond.[1][2][3][4][5] The "Pledge for Palestine" by over 1,600 UK candidates organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign sets a political tone ahead of May elections.[1]
Parallel to this, the monitoring by 12 universities via Horus Security, costing £440,000 since 2022, and Corbyn's "surveillance state" critique highlight institutional responses to campus activism.[2][4] Legal proceedings against Palestine Action defendants, who sought to destroy weapons at the Elbit Systems factory, reveal direct action strategies.[3]
Internationally, the French lawsuit against FedEx for alleged military equipment transfers to Israel extends the scope.[5] Together, these events illustrate a multifaceted push: electoral commitments [1], counter-surveillance debates [2][4], activist prosecutions [3], and corporate accountability suits [5].
What to watch next: Outcomes of the May UK local elections could determine the influence of the 1,600+ pledges [1], while court verdicts in the Palestine Action case [3] and the FedEx lawsuit in France [5] may shape future activism amid ongoing surveillance concerns [2][4].
