Four Palestine Action activists have been jailed for a 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems UK factory that caused £1.2m in damage and left a police officer with a fractured spine. A judge controversially ruled the crime had a "terrorism connection," resulting in sentences of up to eight years. The ruling, a UK legal first for criminal damage, sparked protests that led to over 100 arrests.
Elbit Systems factory raid
- ▪Four Palestine Action activists were convicted of criminal damage for a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024
- ▪The four jailed activists are Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21
- ▪The raid caused £1.2 million in damage to equipment including military drone systems, IT systems, and computers
Terrorism-connected sentencing
- ▪Judge Jeremy Johnson ruled the activists' offenses had a "terrorism connection" under the UK's Sentencing Act
- ▪The terrorism ruling means the activists must serve at least two-thirds of their sentences and will be subject to 15 years of terrorist notification requirements
- ▪The judge determined the raid was intended to influence the UK government's policy toward Israel and intimidate Elbit Systems
- ▪The activists received prison sentences ranging from four years and eight months to seven years and eight months, plus an additional year on licence
- ▪The case is considered the first time in the UK that criminal damage convictions have been classified as having a terrorism connection
Police sergeant spinal injury
- ▪Samuel Corner was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm for striking a police officer with a sledgehammer
- ▪Police Sergeant Kate Evans suffered a fractured spine after being struck twice on the back by Samuel Corner
- ▪As a result of her injuries, Sgt. Evans was forced to give up her rank and continues to receive medical treatment
Palestine Action objectives
- ▪The activists stated their goal was to destroy equipment they believed would be sent to Israel and used against Palestinians in Gaza
- ▪Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK, a ban the High Court declared unlawful on February 13, 2026 but the Court of Appeal upheld on June 15, 2026
Post-sentencing protest arrests
- ▪Police arrested over 100 protesters outside the court for allegedly supporting Palestine Action, a proscribed organization
- ▪Around 500 people protested outside Woolwich Crown Court in support of the activists during the sentencing
Story comments
Loading comments…