Get Involved in Supporting Actionists

How we support actionists

 Palestine Action is a grassroots movement. Our funding is sometimes inconsistent but we always assign donations towards arrestee and prisoner support. Our welfare and post-arrest support teams are volunteers who care passionately about the freedom of Palestine and looking after our fellow comrades.

This is what we do to support our activists post-arrest and facing trial:

• organise pick-ups outside police stations
• help organise housing for trials held outside a defendants home city
• cover travel to court dates for those who are low income and request financial assistance
• supporters inside and outside the courtroom
• provide research for lawyers and defense statements

This is what we do to support our prisoners*:

• provide financial support through supplying credits on prison cards which can be spent on telephone calls and commissary items
• cover the costs of loved ones getting in touch, traveling for visits and attending trials
• liaise with workplaces, academic institutions, families and friends to keep them up-to-date with cases and sentencing
• (subject to volunteer car availability) offer lifts for prisoners to their homes on release days
• set up regular contact with a welfare support volunteer who has years of experience on the frontlines
• send books to prison on request by prisoners
• send clothing items (usually donated items or the prisoner’s own) on request by prisoners
• establish regular contact so any further or unexpected needs arising can be handled with care

In special circumstances we may be able to offer further financial assistance, and help managing situations on the outside, if there are issues causing stress to prisoners which they can’t directly deal with.

*This is not an exhaustive list: in each case we see different needs arise and we consistently do all we can to meet the needs requested by prisoners within the limits of our resources.

A note to families and friends:

If a prisoner requests zero contact with Palestine Action following imprisonment, we honour their wishes. However, we advise families to refrain from encouraging this because we believe that all prisoners benefit from the support we provide.

We respect the integrity and sacrifice of all our political prisoners. We will continue to campaign for their freedom!

Joining the post-arrest and prisoner support team!

We are looking for dedicated volunteers who are invested in helping support Palestine Action’s arrestees and political prisoners. You will need to be available at short notice, consistent with communication and dedicated to the liberation of Palestine. No prior experience necessary, we’ll share all we know about the judicial system and how to navigate it. Join the movement now!

To join, sign-up for an Introduction to Palestine Action workshop, you’ll then be directed to further workshops and meeting the teams you’ll be involved in.