A court in London sentenced four activists from the “Palestine Action” group to prison terms ranging from 4 years and 8 months to 7 years and 8 months, after they were convicted in the case of raiding a factory of the Israeli defense company (Elbit Systems) in 2024 near the British city of Bristol.
During the hearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, it was reported that the damage to Elbit Systems' UK facility, the company known as Israel's largest arms manufacturer, amounted to approximately £1.2 million.
Activist Samuel Korner was sentenced to 8 years and 8 months in prison after being convicted of property damage and causing serious bodily harm to a police officer, with the possibility of applying for parole after 7 years and 8 months.
Charlotte Head and Leona Cameo were also sentenced to six years in prison for property damage.
As for Fatima Radwani, she was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison on charges of damaging property. The judge noted that he took into consideration that Radwani was 20 years old at the time of the incident.
The four activists will be subject to judicial supervision for one year after the end of their prison terms.
On Friday, Samuel Corner (23), Leona Cameo (30), Fatima Zainab Rajwani (21), and Charlotte Head (29) appeared in court, where Judge Jeremy Johnson said that “each of the offenses committed by the defendants involved serious damage to property, was designed to influence the British government, intimidate a group of the public, and was intended to serve a political or ideological cause.”
The judge explained that the intended “public category” includes employees of Elbit Systems and its affiliated companies.
He added: “Accordingly, I am obliged under this legislation to take into account that the crime in each case was related to terrorism, and applying this is considered an aggravating factor that increases the seriousness of the crime when issuing sentences.”
The website “Declassified” quoted legal sources as saying that this is the first time in Britain’s history that “terrorism-related” provisions have been applied to activists in the context of direct protest actions related to the Palestinian cause.
Ahead of the sentencing hearing for the “Filton 4” protesters affiliated with the “Palestine Action” movement, Kerry Moscogiuri, executive director of Amnesty International UK, said the hearing threatened to mark “a new low in the ongoing crackdown on protests across the UK.”
Moscogiuri added: “Criminal damage to property has never been treated as an act of terrorism within the British justice system, and it is completely disproportionate to treat it as such simply because the offense occurred during a protest.”
She said that a conviction under terrorism laws entails lifelong restrictions, adding: “Everyone should be concerned about what this might mean for other people who resort to direct action to protest genocide or any other cause. Ultimately, the right to protest remains one of the most effective tools we have to hold our leaders accountable.”
One of the UK’s leading human rights lawyers, Michael Mansfield KC, also told LBC radio that convicting four Palestine Action activists as terrorists would be a “miscarriage of justice.”
Mansfield, sometimes dubbed the “King of Human Rights Law,” is one of Britain’s most famous lawyers, known for his work on high-profile cases such as the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Grenfell Tower fire.
Mansfield said that the possibility of trying these activists, who were convicted of criminal property damage, as terrorists would be a “miscarriage of justice.”
He added: “If the court is going to convict someone because of the alleged terrorist link, then they should have been charged with terrorism in the first place.”
Mansenfeld is one of dozens of lawyers who signed a joint letter asserting that “convicting members of the Filton Four as terrorists violates basic legal principles.”
The letter stated: “On June 12, the prosecution will request that four young men – Charlotte Head, Leona Cameo, Fatima Zainab Rajwani and Samuel Korner – be convicted as terrorists, based solely on their conviction for criminal damage to drones.”
The letter added: “This is the first time in British legal history that such a request has been made on the basis of a property damage offense.”
She continued: “If the prosecution’s request is successful, the group’s prison terms will be extended, some early release arrangements will be cancelled, and after their release they may be subject to restrictions imposed on terrorists for up to 15 years, including being required to report to the police any new device, bank account, email, or even a new personal relationship.”
