Full Analysis Summary
Detention of Filton 24 activist
Charlotte Head, 29, told Al Jazeera she had been a charity worker supporting victims of domestic violence and a volunteer in Calais before her arrest as one of the so-called "Filton 24".
The "Filton 24" were two dozen pro-Palestine activists alleged to have raided the Bristol branch of Elbit Systems UK in August 2024.
The UK proscribed Palestine Action as a "terrorist" organisation after later incidents, and Head said that classification "had a massive impact on our treatment inside the carceral system."
She was released three weeks ago on bail, had been convicted of no crime, and had served 18 months in prison, well beyond the UK's usual six-month pre-trial detention limit.
During detention she was moved from Bronzefield prison to Foston Hall, nearly 250km (155 miles) north of her loved ones.
Prison conditions and protests
Head said she attempted to take her own life in August 2025, about a year after her arrest, saying she was "so depressed and so isolated" and felt powerless as "a political play piece."
She told Al Jazeera she was taken to an emergency department where she was handcuffed to a prison officer for the whole time, underwent blood tests, and was returned to prison the next day.
Her account of restricted contact with visitors and screened reading material mirrors claims by other Palestine Action-linked activists and their families that the prison system imposed onerous administrative hurdles; the Ministry of Justice has previously denied such allegations.
Activists also staged life-threatening hunger strikes calling for improved conditions and an end to what they called censorship in prison.
Palestine Action legal developments
The High Court recently ruled that the Palestine Action ban was unlawful.
The court acquitted all "Filton24" defendants of aggravated burglary.
23 of the 24 were bailed in two rounds.
Samuel Corner remains in jail and faces an additional charge of causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer.
Juries reached partial or no verdicts on counts of criminal damage and violent disorder.
Head and others now face retrials.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been granted permission to appeal the High Court ruling.
Protests targeting Elbit Systems
Palestine Action, founded in 2020, says its objective is to counter Israeli war crimes and alleged British complicity by targeting weapons manufacturers, with Elbit Systems as its main target.
Al Jazeera reports that the Israeli firm produces drones it says are used with "deadly effect" in "Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."
Elbit Systems UK denies that it supplies the Israeli military.
Head said "the genocide has continued unabated" and insisted activists must continue to voice opposition.
The article identifies this person only as "Head" and does not provide further identifying details.
Activists affiliated with People Against Genocide recently claimed to have "locked on" to block the Elbit UK site in Bristol.
Avon and Somerset Police told Al Jazeera they arrested three people for offences relating to "locking on, contrary to the Public Order Act 2003."
At the time of publishing, Elbit Systems UK and the Ministry of Justice had not responded to Al Jazeera's request for comment.