Heavy Prison Terms for Palestine Action Activists After Raid on Elbit Site in Britain

Four activists from Palestine Action were sentenced on Friday to lengthy prison terms over their 2024 break-in at the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems’ drone plant in Gloucestershire, England. The judge ruled that those who damaged drones and other equipment should be treated as terrorists. Two of the six intruders were acquitted, while the four convicted were found guilty of criminal damage at the site.

Charlotte Head, 30, and Leona Camiu, 30, each received six years in prison. Fatma Rajwani, 21, was sentenced to five years and eight months. The harshest sentence, eight years, went to Samuel Corner, who struck a policewoman with a hammer. The raid caused an estimated £1.2 million in damage.

In explaining his finding of a terrorist connection, Judge Johnson said he was certain the serious property damage was intended to intimidate the British government and part of the public, and to advance a political or ideological aim. The court also heard a dispute over whether members of Palestine Action could be convicted of terrorism offenses. The defense argued it would be unprecedented to convict someone of a nonviolent terrorism offense, calling it “an invitation to a chilling and creeping authoritarianism that undermines the fabric of our society.”

Policewoman Kate Evans, who was attacked with a hammer by Corner, told the court the incident had a deep and lasting impact on her physical health, mental wellbeing, safety, career and family life, saying, “I am not the same person I was before it happened, I feel that my personality has changed.” Corner said he panicked after being sprayed with pepper spray and believed he was trying to protect another activist he thought had been badly hurt. About 500 protesters gathered outside Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London, including some holding signs reading, “Saving lives is not terror. We support Palestine Action.” More than 70 people have been arrested so far on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action since it was banned in Britain.