Gaza Genocide03 September, 20263 min read
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism Sentences After Elbit Systems Raid Near Bristol
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Four Palestine Action activists appeal terrorism convictions for Elbit Systems raid at Filton near Bristol. First time UK court treated property damage as terrorism in a protest case.
Filton raid appeal
Four imprisoned Palestine Action activists are appealing their convictions after a UK court categorised criminal damage “with a terrorist connection” following a raid on an Elbit Systems factory in the UK. Al Jazeera says the ruling marked “the first time property damage was categorised as ‘terrorism’ in a British court,” and it describes the activists as “Four imprisoned Palestine Action activists” appealing on social media. Middle East Eye reports that in June a presiding judge, Justice Johnson, determined the offences carried a “terrorist connection,” handing sentences ranging from four to eight years.
Middle East Eye adds that the activists were convicted for smashing up Israeli weapons, including quadcopter drones, at an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024. The National says the appeal will be launched by Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani after they were convicted in Filton, Bristol, and sentenced as terrorists despite none being charged or convicted of a terrorism offence.
Voices and restrictions
Simon Natas, a partner at ITN Solicitors representing the four prisoners, told a press conference that they will appeal their sentences as “manifestly excessive,” arguing that Johnson wrongfully applied the terrorist connection to their case. Middle East Eye quotes Sukaina Rajwani saying her daughter had already spent “10 percent of her life behind bars,” and it says the activists are now “locked up as high-risk prisoners.” Middle East Eye reports that Rajwani said that as a terrorist prisoner her daughter will only be permitted contact with 20 individuals who have to be vetted, adding, “This will cut her off from most of her family, friends and support network.”
The Guardian says the appeal has been criticised by civil liberties groups including Liberty and Amnesty International, and it quotes Natas saying serious property damage “was not clearly defined.” The Guardian also reports that the terrorist connection ruling meant the four will “serve at least two-thirds of their tariff in prison” and must rescind their political views to obtain parole.
Legal stakes and Gaza
The appeal argues that the “terrorist connection scheme” is incompatible with Article 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and it also contends that Johnson’s finding contravenes Article 6, which enshrines the right to a fair and impartial trial. Middle East Eye says the activists were barred from telling jurors of the potential terror designation and from speaking about their motivations for damaging weapons intended for use by Israel in Gaza. Novara Media says the appeal submission argues that the judge applied the wrong test to determine whether “serious property damage” took place, and it frames the direct action as humanitarian rather than political or ideological.
The National reports that the activists’ appeal will argue the damage did not meet the threshold for an act of terrorism and that they were not seeking to influence the government, but to damage weapons that could be used by Israel in its war on Gaza. Free the Filton 25 says the sentencing on 13th June 2026 was the first time in British legal history that criminal damage convictions were sentenced as terrorism, and it describes the “dangerous precedent” it says has led prosecutors and judges seeking a ‘terrorist connection’ in other Palestine Action cases.