Four Palestine Action members convicted of Elbit damage

Four members of the Palestine Action group were convicted Tuesday at London's Woolwich Crown Court of criminal damage for breaking into an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol and destroying equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars.

The incident occurred in the early hours of August 6, 2024, when Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Rajwani drove a prison van through the facility's security gates. Dressed in red jumpsuits, the activists entered the site and targeted computers, drones and other manufactured products, also spraying red paint from fire extinguishers across walls and floors. The raid caused an estimated 1 million pounds, or about 1.36 million dollars, in damage, according to court testimony.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer described the operation as meticulously organized to inflict maximum destruction and gather information about the company. The activists stated they acted to dismantle weaponry they believed would be used to kill people.

Clashes erupted with security guards and police. Corner struck Sgt. Kate Evans twice in the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer as she assisted in an arrest, fracturing her spine. Evans, who feared paralysis at the time,...