Palestine Action activists appeal terrorism-related sentences

Four activists from the group Palestine Action are appealing their prison sentences following a raid on an Elbit Systems facility near Bristol in August 2024. The group is seeking to overturn a ruling that classified their actions as having a “terrorist connection,” a designation that marks the first time in British courts that property damage has been treated as terrorism.

The defendants—Samuel Corner, Charlotte Head, Leona Kamio, and Fatema Rajwani—were convicted of criminal damage causing an estimated £1.2 million in losses. The raid involved the use of sledgehammers and crowbars to damage drones and computer equipment. Additionally, Samuel Corner was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm after striking a police officer with a sledgehammer, resulting in a fractured spine.

Sentences include seven years and eight months for Corner, five years each for Head and Kamio, and four years and eight months for Rajwani. Due to the terrorism classification, the defendants must serve at least two-thirds of their sentences before becoming eligible for release and will face 15 years of terrorist notification requirements. Legal representatives argue the sentences are “excessive” and that the judicial classification was wrong in law.