Four Palestine Action activists appeal terrorism convictions over 2024 Filton arms raid
Four activists convicted of terrorism for damaging an Israeli arms factory in Filton have filed an appeal challenging their sentences and the legal basis.
Four members of Palestine Action—Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Zainab Rajwani—were sentenced for “criminal damage with a terrorist connection” after their August 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems drone factory in Filton, near Bristol. Head and Kamio received five-year terms, Corner seven years and eight months (including a conviction for grievous bodily harm), and Rajwani four years and eight months.
The group has lodged an appeal, contending that the conviction violates Article 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights because the organization was not proscribed at the time, and that the sentences breach Article 6 and natural-justice principles. Legal experts and human-rights advocates have warned the judgment could set a precedent for labeling protest-related property damage as terrorism. Supporters highlighted the harsh post-release supervision requirements and the emotional impact on the activists’ families. The case follows the 2025 UK proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, which has already led to thousands of arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000.
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