UK Judge Jails 4 Palestine Action Activists for Up to 7 Years Over £1.2m Elbit Damage
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 12
UK Judge Jails 4 Palestine Action Activists for Up to 7 Years Over £1.2m Elbit Damage
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 12
Summary
Seven years and eight months was imposed on Samuel Corner, while three other Palestine Action activists received four years eight months to five years for a 2024 break-in at Elbit Systems UK in Gloucestershire.
Mr Justice Johnson said the raid caused £1.2 million of damage to 41 military assets and had a terrorist connection because it was designed to intimidate the UK government and Elbit-linked workers for a political cause.
That finding triggers tougher terms: each defendant gets an extra year on licence, 15 years of terrorist notification requirements, and must serve at least two-thirds of the criminal-damage sentence in prison.
Defense lawyers called the ruling unprecedented for non-terror convictions and warned it criminalized direct-action protest, while Sgt Kate Evans described lasting physical and psychological harm after Corner struck her with a sledgehammer.
About 500 protesters gathered outside Woolwich Crown Court, and more than 70 arrests came as Palestine Action remains proscribed pending a Court of Appeal ruling on Monday over the ban’s lawfulness.
A UK court jailed factory protesters as terrorists. Is this justice or a threat to dissent?
Does labeling UK activists as terrorists impact the global debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict?
"The Filton 4 and the Terrorism Label: Landmark 2026 Sentencing Sparks UK Civil Liberties Crisis"
Overview
The sentencing of the 'Filton 4' at Woolwich Crown Court on June 12, 2026, marked a turning point in the UK's approach to protest and terrorism laws. Over 200 people demonstrated outside the court, showing strong public support and concern about the unprecedented use of a 'terrorism connection' in the case. This response highlighted deep unease about how activism, especially related to Palestine Action's direct actions against Elbit Systems UK, is being redefined under terrorism legislation. The case sparked widespread debate about civil liberties, the definition of terrorism, and the future of protest rights in the UK.