It was only when they were gathered at a safe house that the two Palestine Action activists learnt for the first time what they had been asked to do the following morning.
Mary Ensell, 45, and Harry Wade, 26, chained themselves to a van that had been crashed into the entrance of a Teledyne factory at 5am, in protest against the company supplying products being used in the war in Gaza.
Details of their protest have been revealed in court documents, which show the planning that goes into Palestine Action's sabotage attacks and the extent to which "foot soldiers" are kept in the dark about what they are to do until the last minute. The evidence also shows how the group tried to intimidate Teledyne's lawyers.
Ensell and Wade both contacted the group after becoming concerned about the devastation in Gaza. They volunteered to take part in direct action against companies in the UK that were supplying products for the Israeli military.
Since their protest early this year, Palestine Action has been designated as a terrorist organisation after activists broke into a military base and damaged British aircraft they claimed were used to assist Israel's war effort.
In response to continued protests by Palestine Action, Teledyne obtained a High Court injunction in January that forbids protesters from entering six of the company's sites in Britain. But Ensell and Wade took part in a demonstration at the Shipley site on January 28, four days after the injunction was granted. They have now admitted breaching the injunction, although a judge has spared them from a jail sentence for contempt of court.
In her ruling, judge Mary Stacey outlined how the pair volunteered to become activists for the group after seeing news and social media reports about the Gaza war. After making contact with the group, they were given an “onboarding session” and offered to take part in “medium-level action” for which they would not be sent to prison.
"A few months later and after several further conversations with representatives from Palestine Action, they were each told, separately, that they had been approved to be involved in a medium-level action, coming up shortly," the judge said.
The pair "were not told any details or what or where it might be" and "they had not been involved in any of the planning and organisation", she added.
The judge described the pair as “foot soldiers” who met for the first time at a “safe house” the night before the protest, to undergo a briefing at which they were told where the action would take place. They were both told to leave their mobile phones at home.
“The action had been planned, designed and organised by others beforehand and neither of them were privy to any information other than about the limited role each had agreed to perform the next day,” the judge said.
On the day of their action, the pair travelled in a car behind the van driven by fellow activists. The van then drove at speed towards two bollards, causing about £3,500 ($4,710) of damage.
Ensell and Wade then got out of the car and locked themselves to the van and sat in the rain in a bid to prevent workers from entering the site. A couple of hours later, a security guard emerged and told them about the injunction, which they ignored.
About 40 police officers and ambulance staff arrived at the scene over the course of the day in an effort to cut them free from the van, but the vehicle had been reinforced with concrete from the inside, making such efforts impossible. The activists released themselves at 12.30pm.
In a submission to the court, Teledyne said the offices of the law firm that worked on the injunction has been the target of supporters of Palestine Action. Four activists smashed a window at Keystone Law’s office early on March 10 and sprayed red paint inside. The words "Drop Teledyne" were written on the pavement outside.
Palestine Action posters bearing a picture of the lawyer handling the case were stuck to the wall of a coffee shop. The posters accused him of being complicit in war crimes and genocide.
Justice Stacey said she believed Ensell and Ward were not aware of the existence of an injunction. But continuing their protest after being told of the order justified a jail term of 28 days, she added.
The judge reduced this to 21 days and suspended the sentence for a year, meaning they will go to prison if they undertake any further protest action during that time.
Teledyne said in the court submission that it makes products for a “wide range of industrial markets, including defence and aerospace”, some of which have “military end-uses”. Of those, “some products are exported under licence to Israel”. The company has been approached for comment.
Supporters of Palestine Action recently staged a protest in central London to openly defy the law and run the risk of arrest. About half of the 522 detained were over the age of 60, police said. Palestine Action has been allowed to legally challenge the decision to designate it as a terrorist group and a decision on the issue is due in November.
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UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
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2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
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Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
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'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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BMW M5 specs
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It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
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- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
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