Hundreds of protesters gather as Palestine Action activists sentenced over Israeli defence firm break-in

A large crowd was seen to congregate in support of the four Palestine Action activists who are set to be sentenced on Friday for destroying equipment at an Israel-based defence firm’s UK factory.

The raid by Charlotte Head, 23, Samuel Corner, 30, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, left one police officer with a fractured spine.

The group, travelling in an old prison van, crashed into the Elbit Systems site near Bristol during the early hours of August 6, 2024.

The activists have spent up to 18 months behind bars ahead of sentencing, as appeals returned to the Court of Appeal over sentencing guidelines and the proscription of Palestine Action as a terror organisation.

Ahead of sentencing on Friday, a significant police presence could be seen in the area, with 12 police vans having arrived to manage the demonstration outside the court.

Protesters set off flares, with banners reading 'Free the Filton 25' held by activists as chants rung out over megaphones.

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Protestors could be seen to line the driveway into the court carpark but police lined in front of them.

Others could also be heard banging drums and chanting through megaphones with Palestine flags being waved.

As well as changing “Free Palestine”, the protesters also displayed a number of signs stating “Direct Action Saves Lives” and “Direct Action is not Terrorism”.

The four activists standing trial were arrested wearing red boilersuits, having caused an estimated £1 million in damage, after destroying computers, drones, and other equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars they had taken with them.

Corner, a former student at Oxford, hit Sergeant Kate Evans on the back twice with a sledgehammer during efforts by police and Elbit security to stop the destruction.

The four defendants spent about 18 months in custody after the raid on August 6 2024. They were freed on bail in February, but returned to prison after being found guilty of criminal damage by a jury in early May.

On Friday, Mr Justice Johnson will pass sentence on the activists at Woolwich Crown Court, and he will also sentence Corner for causing grievous bodily harm over the attack on Sgt Evans.

The Elbit raid was one of the triggers for the UK Government to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, in a decision the High Court has now ruled was unlawful.

Court of Appeal judges are to decide on Monday whether to uphold the High Court ruling.

Mr Justice Johnson ruled last year in pre-trial hearings that the Elbit raid had a “terrorist connection”, and he must decide on Friday whether to pass tougher sentences on the activists as a consequence of that ruling.

The trial at Woolwich heard how Corner used a 7lb sledgehammer to strike Sgt Evans as she went to assist another officer in the arrest of Kamio.

When a security guard told the activists they were committing criminal damage, Kamio, a nursery school teacher, replied “We’re f****** doing that”.

She cried out in pain after being tasered by a police officer, in the seconds before Corner’s attack on Sgt Evans.

The Avon and Somerset Police Federation described the attack as “despicable”, saying of Corner: “This wasn’t protest. This was violent and deliberate thuggery that has had devastating consequences for a courageous and dedicated police officer.”

Sgt Evans told the court she had to take three months off work to recover from spinal surgery and suffers ongoing back pain.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said the raid on the Elbit factory had been “meticulously organised” to cause “as much damage as possible and obtain information about the company”.

Elbit Systems was founded in 1966 and is an international military technology company supplying equipment and drones to the Israeli military.

The Palestine Action activists say they carried out the raid to destroy equipment that would have been used against Palestinians in Gaza, and say their actions were necessary to oppose genocide.

They have complained since the trial that restrictions imposed by the judge prevented them from putting forward evidence about the situation in Gaza.

A concerted campaign has also been mounted to try to pressure the judge into dropping the terror link when he passes sentence, including a failed bid to remove him from the case, a complaint of “bias” to his professional regulator, and a letter signed by celebrities including Charlotte Church and Steve Coogan.

After the first trial of the case, a jury cleared the defendants of aggravated burglary and allegations of violent disorder were abandoned.

Hearings of the case have been heavily policed, and supporters of the defendants have staged regular protests in the street outside the courtroom.

Another protest in support of Palestine Action is expected on Friday, putting participants at risk of being arrested under counter terrorism legislation.