These Five Palestine Action Activists In The UK Have Finally Been Released After 18 Months Without Trial
The activists were released after being cleared of aggravated burglary for breaking in to an Israeli defense firm’s site in the UK.
Five Palestine Action activists have been released on bail after being held for about 18 months in prison without trial.
The activists were released after being cleared of aggravated burglary for breaking in to an Israeli defense firm’s site in the UK.
The five activists released are part of Palestine Action’s "Filton 24" group that broke into Elbit Systems' Filton facility in August 2024.
Palestine Action is a pro-Palestine group founded in 2020 that uses non-violent direct action to disrupt the arms industry in the UK, which supplies the Israeli army with weapons used in its genocide in Gaza.
The group most frequently targets British factories linked to Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Six activists — Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin — had been arrested at the scene at the Filton facility at the time, while the remaining members of the Filton 24 were later detained in separate police raids.
The Filton 24 were accused of aggravated burglary, trespassing, violent disorder and causing over US$1 million in damage.
Corner faces an additional charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent for allegedly hitting a woman police officer.
In the UK, aggravated burglary is punishable with up to 13 years in prison and could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
But since their arrest in 2024, the activists were left in custody awaiting trial far beyond the UK’s six-month pre-trial detention limit.
On Wednesday. Feb. 4, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court in London cleared the six activists first arrested of aggravated burglary.
Five activists were released on bail — Head, Kamio, Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin — except Corner after the jury was unable to reach a verdict against him despite more than 36 hours of deliberations on the charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
The jury did not come to a verdict about the other charges of criminal damages and violent disorder, leaving the case to return to court on Feb. 18.
About 100 people gathered outside the court following the verdict, welcoming the five activists' release and calling for Corner’s freedom.
Flavie Chen
Flavie Chen
Ikran Dahir
