Arabic version: حكم على أربعة ناشطين بسبب اقتحام مصنع أنظمة إلبت

Four Palestine Action activists have been jailed after causing £1.2m of damage at a UK site of an Israel-based defence firm. The convicted individuals, Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, and Fatema Rajwani, were found guilty of criminal damage in a retrial after breaking into the Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in August 2024. According to BBC News, Corner was sentenced to seven years and eight months for criminal damage and inflicting grievous bodily harm on a police sergeant during the incident.

The court classified the convictions as connected to terrorism, marking a significant legal precedent. This classification means the offenders will not be eligible for early release, as their cases will be reviewed by the Parole Board to assess their risk to the public. Head received a five-year sentence, while Kamio was also handed a five-year jail term, and Rajwani received a prison sentence of four years and eight months.

During the raid, Corner fractured the spine of Sgt. Kate Evans with a sledgehammer. In her impact statement, she described the emotional toll the incident has taken on her life, stating she still receives medical treatment and has had to give up her rank due to the injuries sustained. The judge condemned Corner’s actions as extreme and gratuitous.

Defense attorney Rajiv Menon criticized the prosecution’s argument linking the case to terrorism, arguing it undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system. He highlighted that while Head had been cleared of aggravated burglary in an earlier trial, the prosecution’s approach to classify the case under terrorism was unprecedented for a non-violent offence. Despite this, the Crown Prosecution Service maintained that the damage caused was indeed connected to terrorism under UK law.

A demonstration supporting Palestine Action took place outside the court, with around 500 protesters gathering. The Metropolitan Police reported 107 arrests during the demonstration. The Palestine Action group was previously designated a terrorist organization by the government in July last year, a designation later deemed unlawful by the High Court in February, although the group has remained proscribed.