Four Palestine Action activists who carried out a raid causing £1.2 million worth of damage at the Elbit defence firm have been jailed. Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, crashed an old prison van into the Israeli-linked Elbit Systems factory in Bristol on August 6, 2024.
The raid left a police officer with a fractured spine after being struck on the back with a sledgehammer by Corner. The group, known as the Filton Four, were handed their sentences at Woolwich Crown Court today. Corner was jailed for eight years and eight months, Head and Kamio were both jailed for six years, and Rajwani for five years and eight months.
Mr Justice Johnson said the raid amounted to an 'act of terrorism' as it tried to influence the government and intimidate the public. Supporters of the four cheered and banged on the public gallery during the sentencing. Earlier, 72 protesters had been arrested outside the court for supporting a proscribed group, Palestine Action.
The judge said the four had 'decided to take matters into your own hands' after coming to the view that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza and being 'disillusioned' with legal efforts to oppose it. He said the activists had been 'reckless' about who would be injured, and had been heavily involved in organising the raid with the right of veto over each part of the plan. The judge pointed out that two of the activists had livestreamed the raid and posted the footage to social media, as part of an effort to 'glorify criminality and vigilantism.'
PC Kate Evans, who was hit in the back by Corner while responding to the raid, detailed the impact it has had on her. Holding back tears while reading her statement, PC Evans said she has had to give up her rank due to the impact of the attack, and she still requires medical treatment. 'The emotional impact of this incident has been profound and ongoing,' she said. 'I experience disturbed sleep, often waking in a panicked state or after distressing dreams.' The judge described the violence against her as 'extreme and gratuitous force against a vulnerable police officer acting in the course of her duties.'
Rajiv Menon KC, representing Head, argued that the judge should refrain from finding a 'terrorist connection' for criminal damage offences. He argued that it would be 'chilling, creeping authoritarianism that undermines the very fabric of our society' and that previous cases did not have a terrorist finding. Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July last year, making support or belonging to it a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. However, High Court judges ruled in February the move to ban Palestine Action was unlawful, leading to an appeal by the government due to be decided on Monday.
