HUNDREDS of protesters will surround Woolwich Crown Court on Monday as a judge decides whether Palestine rights activists will be allowed to mention genocide in their legal defences.

The Filton 18, of Palestine Action, are being held on remand following their occupation of an Elbit Systems weapons factory in Filton, Bristol.

Their action targeted the Israeli arms firm over its role in supplying the Israeli military with weapons used in Gaza.

They could be held on remand without trial for as long as 21 months due to the use of counter-terrorism laws against them.

Justice Jeremy Johnson will hear pre-trial arguments on June 30 and July 1 to decide whether they will be allowed to present their motivations, including reference to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Campaigners say the defendants may be barred from using any of their proposed legal defences, including Necessity and Protection of Property, which could prevent them from explaining their actions to a jury.

Juries have acquitted Palestine Action members in previous cases, when permitted to hear these defences.

The upcoming ruling has been compared to similar crackdowns on climate protesters, who in recent years have been jailed after attempting to speak in court about the climate crisis and fuel poverty.

It also comes as Palestine Action is being proscribed by the Labour government.

The Free Political Prisoners campaign will lead a non-violent protest outside the court on Monday, forming part of a coalition of groups calling for the charges to be dropped and the activists released.

Clare Hinchcliffe, mother of Filton 18 member Zoe Rogers, said: “The courage and compassion of these 18 activists are being rewarded with brutal repression.

“International law organisations have called the Filton 18 case a litmus test for democracy and human rights in the UK.”