A British judge on Friday jailed four Palestinian Action Group activists for breaking into an Israeli defense company causing around £1m of damage, ruling the attack was a “terrorist act”.
Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani were found guilty last month of using a sledgehammer and crowbar to destroy equipment belonging to the Elbit Systems site in south-west Bristol.
During the August 2024 raid, four activists wearing red jumpsuits damaged computers, drones and other equipment before clashing with security guards and police who tried to stop them.
Woolwich Crown Court heard Corner, 23, hit officer Kate Evans twice in the back with a 7lb sledgehammer, causing her to fracture her spine.
The group said it aimed to “dismantle drones and weapons” that it believed would be used to kill people, particularly in Gaza.
But Judge Jeremy Johnson ruled the attack was an “act of terrorism” and sentenced Corner to seven years and eight months in prison.
He told the former Oxford University student he had “used extreme and unjustified force against a vulnerable police officer who was carrying out his duties”.
Head, 30, who drove a van through the gates of the site, was sentenced to five years in prison along with Kamio, also 30.
Rajwani was as tearful as Hyde at the sentencing, where he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
About 500 protesters gathered outside the court in support of the four activists on Friday, leading to the arrest of 72 people for holding signs supporting Palestinian action.
Elbit Systems is a defense technology company with about 20,000 employees and $2 billion in revenue, according to the company’s website.
Friday’s ruling follows a High Court ruling on Monday on the government’s appeal against the Home Office’s lifting of a ban on Palestinian movement.
The Terrorism Act 2000, which came into effect on July 5 last year, makes joining or supporting direct action groups a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Some 3,000 people have since been arrested at rallies and demonstrations.
After Action for Palestine challenged the ban, London’s High Court ruled in February that the decision was “disproportionate”, had a “very significant” impact on human rights and should be quashed.
The government has appealed the ruling and a judgment is due on Monday.
jkb/gl
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