The following is a statement from the Peace & Justice Project. It concerns the actions of insurer Allianz relating to pro-Palestine activists.

The Peace & Justice Project condemns Allianz and its abhorrent use of legal intimidation against pro-Palestine activists it alleges targeted the company over its insurance of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in Britain.

Allianz is claiming nearly £300,000 total in a civil suit against two groups of activists it alleges damaged the company through separate Palestine Action protests in Guildford and London in 2024 and 2025.

In December 2025, Allianz had requested a lower sum before tacking on a further £200,000 in symbolic damages which the six activists have branded a “protest licence fee”, raising the total to £289,604 plus legal representative costs.

The increased demand came after activists wrote to Allianz’s lawyers asking them to wait for criminal proceedings to conclude before continuing their civil case.

Renée Eshel, a tutor who is one of the Allianz6, said:

Allianz ordering us to civil courts while our criminal cases are pending indicates they are using intimidatory fear tactics to bully us into submission and to deter future activists from exposing their complicity in war crimes through Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.

The defendants cannot afford legal representation in the civil case, where the standard of proof required is lower than in criminal proceedings. The Allianz6’s lives would be torn apart if forced to pay the enormous symbolic damages, with the money taken from savings and future salaries – potentially causing lifelong financial distress, despite Allianz reporting a 2025 operating profit of £15.2bn.

Featured image via the Canary

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