On March 14, the Crown Court in Woolwich, England, sentenced four activists from the group Palestine Action on charges related to terrorism. The defendants were convicted of causing property damage and grievous bodily harm after breaking into a factory owned by Israeli arms company Elbit Systems in Bristol in August 2024.
Judge Jeremy Johnson sentenced Samuel Corner, 23, to 7 years and 8 months in prison for striking female police officer Kate Evans twice in the back with a sledgehammer, fracturing her spine. The judge described the former Oxford University student’s behavior as ‘extreme and unnecessary force against a police officer performing her duties.’
Three other defendants — Charlotte Head, 30, who drove a truck into the factory gate; Leona Kamio, 30; and Fatema Rajwani, who received 4 years and 8 months — were each sentenced to 5 years in prison. The four were convicted last month, with one also found guilty of assaulting a police officer.
Palestine Action said their goal was to ‘dismantle drones and weapons’ they believed would be used to kill people in the Gaza Strip. However, Judge Johnson ruled there was a ‘terrorist connection’ because the acts caused ‘serious property damage’ to Israeli weapons, and accused the defendants of seeking to pressure the UK government and threaten Elbit Systems.
NGO Filton 25 Defence Committee condemned the ruling, calling it ‘a serious miscarriage of justice.’ They stated: ‘The four people sentenced today destroyed more than 40 Israeli weapons, including killer drones used in most massacres of Palestinians in Gaza. That direct action saved lives. It is not terrorism — it is a duty.’
Palestine Action was officially designated a terrorist organization by the British government in July 2024 under the Terrorism Act 2000. The ban makes membership or support for the group punishable by up to 14 years in prison. About 3,000 people have been arrested at protests related to Palestine Action since the ban took effect.
On March 14, about 500 protesters gathered outside the court to support the four activists, leading to 72 arrests for displaying banners supporting Palestine Action. The ruling comes ahead of a UK Supreme Court hearing on the government’s appeal to lift the ban on the group.
