UK Judge Jails Four Palestine Action Activists Over Elbit Systems Factory Raid in Bristol

Four Palestine Action activists were jailed after a 2024 raid on an Israeli defence firm’s UK factory operated by Elbit Systems, with the judge ruling there was a “terrorism connection.”

“Four activists from the Palestine Action group face sentencing in the United Kingdom as “terrorists” on Friday, despite only being convicted by a jury of other criminal charges”

Al Jazeera

CNN said the four were Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, and that the judge gave longer terms after determining there was a “terrorism connection.”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that Corner was jailed for seven years and eight months for criminal damage and inflicting grievous bodily harm, while Head was sentenced to five years, Kamio was also handed a five-year jail term, and Rajwani received four years and eight months.

In Bristol, southwest England, the raid at the Elbit Systems UK facility caused more than £1 million of damage, and CNN said prosecutors argued it should be treated as having a “terrorism connection.”

The Washington Post described the sentencing as punishment for acting as terrorists when they raided an Israeli defense factory in the U.K. and smashed equipment to disrupt weapons production they feared would kill people in Gaza.

Outside court, the BBC said about 500 protesters gathered in a demonstration to support Palestine Action, while the Metropolitan Police said 107 people were arrested and taken to custody.

The Guardian reported that Mr Justice Johnson told the four they had participated in a “carefully planned and highly sophisticated attack,” and said the fact they were trying to shut down a company they thought was acting unlawfully “does not reduce the seriousness of the offence.”

BBC

The Guardian also quoted Johnson’s “terrorist connection” reasoning, saying the offence involved serious damage to property, was designed to intimidate the UK government and a section of the public, and was for the purpose of advancing a political or ideological cause.

Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Kerry Moscogiuri condemned the approach in CNN’s account, saying: “Criminal damage has never been treated as terrorism within the UK justice system before and it is dangerous to treat them as the same thing.”

CNN added that police said they had arrested over 100 people for showing support for Palestine Action, as the sentencing drew condemnation from human rights groups and high-profile supporters.

The BBC said the offenders will not qualify for early release from prison provisions, and that the Parole Board will assess their risk to the public when it determines when they can be set free.

“Four British pro-Palestinian activists were sentenced to a total of more than 20 years over a 2024 raid on a factory operated by Israeli defence firm Elbit which caused more than £1 million of damage, with the judge giving longer terms after determining there was a “terrorism connection”

CNN

The Guardian reported that each will also spend an additional year on licence and be subject to 15 years of terrorist notification requirements, after Johnson imposed lengthy custodial sentences on the four.

BBC said all four will also serve an additional one year on a licence in the community at the end of their terms, and that the case was believed to be the first time that convictions for criminal damage have been classified as being connected to terrorism.

In the courtroom, the BBC quoted Sgt Kate Evans describing the “emotional impact of this incident” as “profound and ongoing,” and said she told the court she was still receiving medical treatment and had been forced to give up her rank.

The Guardian said the prosecution relied on a report that the raid caused £1.2m of damage, including to 41 military assets, and it described Johnson’s finding that the “terrorist connection” applied under section 69 of the Sentencing Act.