UK court allows Allianz to sue pro-Palestine activists
The outside of insurance giant Allianz’s office in the City of London
Oscar Rickett reports in Middle East Eye on 9 June 2026:
A British court is allowing German insurance giant Allianz to pursue a civil lawsuit against pro-Palestine activists that could end up bankrupting them. A criminal case is already under way against the activists, who conducted separate protests at Allianz’s offices in Guildford and London in 2024 and 2025.
The activists, known as the Allianz6, occupied the offices, spraying them in water-soluble red paint, which the insurance company said caused over £79,000 ($105,575) worth of damage.
On Monday, Central London County Court Judge Alan Johns said the insurance firm could also pursue a near-£300,000 ($400,000) lawsuit against the activists, rejecting a request for a delay until after the criminal trials end.
In December last year, Allianz requested a lower sum before tacking on a further £200,000 in symbolic damages – the company referenced “reputational damage and commercial embarrassment” – based on the allegation that the activists had closed each of the offices for a day.
The activists have branded this a “protest licence fee”, and it raised the total cost of the civil lawsuit to £289,604 plus legal costs, which they will have to defend themselves against before the criminal trials begin.
The increased demand came after they wrote to Allianz’s lawyers asking they wait for criminal proceedings to conclude before continuing their civil case.
One of the activists, community worker Seren John-Wood, told Middle East Eye they had targeted Allianz because they were an insurer for Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. In December, the German multinational reportedly dropped its coverage of Elbit, which supplies 85 percent of the drones used by the Israeli military.