Four Palestine Action activists to appeal against terrorism sentences

Four members of Palestine Action have announced plans to appeal their terrorism sentences following their 2024 break-in at an Israeli arms manufacturing facility in the UK. The activists involved are Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, and Fatema Rajwani. They were found guilty of causing criminal damage at the Elbit Systems site in Filton, near Bristol, despite none of them being charged or convicted of any terrorism-related offense.

Justice Jeremy Johnson deemed the case a terrorism connection due to the damage being caused with the intent to influence the government and advance a political cause. Corner received an additional sentence for grievously harming a police officer with a sledgehammer. The appeal will argue that the damage to the Elbit Systems site did not meet the terrorism threshold, that the activists were motivated by humanitarian concerns rather than political beliefs, and that the definition of serious property damage in the Terrorism Act is vague.

The activists' families expressed concerns about the long-term monitoring they will face after serving their sentences. Palestine Action was previously proscribed by the UK government after several direct action protests, including a break-in at an airbase. The group's co-founder, Huda Ammori, has also appealed the proscription decision at the Supreme Court.

Seven other Palestine Action members face terrorism sentences without a terrorism conviction after allegedly breaking into and spray-painting the US President Donald Trump's golf course in March 2025.