Four Palestine Action activists have been jailed following a raid on an Israel-based defence firm’s UK factory, an incident a judge ruled amounted to an "act of terrorism". The operation caused £1.2 million in damage and left a police officer with a fractured spine.
Samuel Corner, 23, a former Oxford student, received the longest sentence of seven years and eight months. Charlotte Head, 30, and Leona Kamio, 30, were each handed five-year prison terms, while Fatema Rajwani, 21, was sentenced to four years and eight months. All four will serve an additional year on licence upon their release.
The activists were involved in an incident in August 2024, when an old prison van crashed into the Elbit Systems site near Bristol. Dressed in red boilersuits, they used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones, and other equipment before police intervened. During the raid, Corner struck Pc Kate Evans twice on the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer, causing a fractured spine.
At Woolwich Crown Court, Mr Justice Johnson told Corner he had used "extreme and gratuitous force against a vulnerable police officer acting in the course of her duties". Pc Evans, who was helping to detain Kamio at the time, revealed in an impact statement that she had been forced to give up her rank of sergeant and is still undergoing medical treatment nearly two years later. She also disclosed receiving a hate-filled email from a troll, and noted Corner’s lack of remorse.
The judge ruled the raid constituted an "act of terrorism," having been carried out to influence the UK Government and intimidate a section of the public. He stated the activists had "decided to take matters into your own hands" due to their belief that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza. The judge added that they had been "reckless" about potential injuries and had livestreamed the raid to "glorify criminality and vigilantism."
The Elbit raid was among the triggers for the UK Government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, a ruling the High Court later deemed unlawful. Court of Appeal judges are set to decide on Monday whether to uphold the High Court’s decision. Outside the court, around 500 protesters gathered in support of the defendants, leading to the arrest of more than 100 individuals.
