Anti-Israel activists in UK to face retrial over Elbit raid

Prosecutors separately announced they would drop aggravated burglary charges against 18 other defendants linked to the break-in, citing insufficient evidence, though those individuals continue to face other allegations.

By JNS

Six British activists affiliated with the anti-Israel Palestine Action group will face a retrial on charges stemming from a 2024 break-in at an Elbit Systems facility near Bristol, England, a court heard on Wednesday.

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin face criminal damage charges in connection with the August 2024 raid on the Israeli defense company’s site in Filton.

Three of the defendants—Head, Corner and Kamio—also face allegations of violent disorder, the BBC reported.

The six were acquitted earlier this month on aggravated burglary charges following a trial that began in November. The jury, which deliberated for more than 36 hours, was unable to reach verdicts on the remaining counts.

Woolwich Crown Court was told the retrial is scheduled for February 2027.

Prosecutors separately announced they would drop aggravated burglary charges against 18 other defendants linked to the break-in, citing insufficient evidence, though those individuals continue to face other allegations.

The U.K.’s High Court of Justice ruled on Feb. 13 against the government’s ban and prescription of the Palestine Action group as a terrorist entity, prompting Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to say that her office will appeal, and Jewish groups to express “concern.”

The British government in July outlawed Palestine Action, which was established in 2020, and declared it to be a terrorist organization following a series of similar break-ins and what the group called “occupations” of firms with Israeli ties.