Harun Nasrullah, additional reporting by Ahmed J Versi
The mother of one of the Palestine Action activists arrested under the Terrorism Act for protesting at an Israeli-owned arms factory in Gloucestershire has condemned the police’s “unjustifiable” use of “draconian” anti-terrorism laws against pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Fellow activists also accused authorities of exploiting the law “in a bid to protect Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer.”
On August 6, the group broke into Elbit Systems’ Filton site in Bristol. Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. Police reported that the group forced their way into the building, using a vehicle to smash through the doors. They also claimed that an employee and two officers who attended the disruption were “seriously assaulted in the course of their duties.”
Palestine Action has targeted multiple Elbit locations, including factories in Leicester, Oldham, Shenstone, and the company’s headquarters in London. While the group denies claims of violence, they acknowledge employing direct action to disrupt operations and draw attention to Elbit’s involvement in supplying arms to Israel. Their common protest tactics involve occupying rooftops, breaking windows, spraying red paint to symbolize bloodshed, and disabling equipment to impede the production of military tech.
Elbit’s £35 million research and manufacturing hub, inaugurated last year by UK-Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely and CEO Bezhalel Machlis, produces weapons used in conflicts with Palestinians, including the Gaza war, for which Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. Supplying 85% of Israel’s military drones and land equipment, Elbit also exports drones, aircraft components, and military systems to the UK.
In an exclusive interview with The Muslim News, Sukaina Rajwani from East Mitcham in South London revealed that 24 hours after her 20-year-old daughter, Fatema, and six others were arrested in Bristol by Avon and Somerset Police, they were re-arrested under the Terrorism Act, and the investigation was transferred to Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE.). The group was then moved to Hammersmith and
Newbury police stations in London.
It would be another seven days, on August 13, before Fatema and her fellow accused—Jordan Devlin, 30; Charlotte Head, 28; Leona Kameo, 28; and Zoe Rogers, 20—were charged with criminal damage, violent disorder, and aggravated burglary at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Rajwani strongly criticised the use of terrorism laws against her daughter and the other activists, describing the week-long detention under terror laws as “extremely difficult and distressing.”
“She’s only 20 years old. The police used draconian laws to instill fear in them. This was a form of protest, not terrorism. It’s completely unjustifiable. She’s been deeply distressed. I wasn’t able to talk to her for nearly two weeks after she was arrested and allowed a visit more than three weeks after her arrest. The solicitors said they were all on the verge of breaking down. They had nothing to do, didn’t know the day or time. It’s been incredibly hard for them.”
Hannah Davidson, 51, was charged with criminal damage and aggravated burglary. Samuel Corner, 22, is charged with grievous bodily harm for “unlawfully and maliciously” wounding two police officers “with intent to resist or prevent the lawful apprehension or detention of another.” It is also alleged that he caused actual bodily harm to an employee.
Rajwani, Rogers, and Head appeared in court, where they denied charges of criminal damage and violent disorder. They did not enter pleas for aggravated burglary, as this indictable-only offense must be addressed by a crown court. All three were remanded in custody. Similarly, Corner, Devlin, Kamio, and Davidson also entered no pleas and were remanded into custody.
The group’s re-arrest under the Terrorism Act, during which they endured five days of solitary confinement, continuous interrogations, and isolation from their families, has sparked serious accusations of political misuse of the law. Although they were eventually charged with non-terrorism-related offences, critics claim the authorities used intimidation tactics to suppress anti-Israel activism.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action echoed Rajwani’s concerns, stating, “Despite arrests under the Terrorism Act, giving the police the ability to detain without charge for up to 14 days, none of the activists have been charged with terrorism offences. This not only vindicates the activists but proves the state was abusing their powers by holding them under draconian laws that saw them interrogated day after day—all in a bid to protect Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer.”
Naila Ahmed, Head of Campaigns at CAGE International, said the “case represents a shocking exploitation of Counter Terrorism Policing and Legislation to protect companies who are guilty of aiding and abetting a live-streamed genocide in Gaza.
Twenty years of calling for the abolition of terrorism laws has shown us the gradual expansion of these powers to erode the freedoms of all. We are now at the point where the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] is actively seeking to add terrorism as an aggravating sentencing factor for anti-genocide campaigners.”
Freelance journalist Richard Medhurst, detained under the Terrorism Act last month and held for nearly 24 hours with his electronic devices confiscated, also criticised the use terrorism laws against protestors.
Speaking at a UN conference in Geneva on ‘Palestine & the UK’s Crackdown on Free Speech,’ Medhurst remarked, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that people who discuss what’s happening in Palestine are being targeted by the British government with the Terrorism Act.”
He continued, “ I don’t think it’s a coincidence that people who talk about what’s happening in Palestine are being targeted by the British government with the Terrorism Act…It is an escalation by the government. Because following my arrest, they used the same thing, Section 12, to go after activists like Sarah Wilkinson and Palestine Action in the span of a week or two.
The message has been sent. Not only does the government in London have the nerve to participate in war crimes and in acts of terrorism in Gaza, but it has the nerve to call us the terrorists and to try and silence us because we’re saying, please don’t chop Palestine and children into 16 pieces.”
Despite not charging the seven arrested activists with terrorism offences, the CPS announced it “will be submitting to the court that these offences have a terrorist connection.” This development follows a year of growing concerns that anti-terror laws were being misused at the behest of the Israeli lobby.
In August 2023, the Guardian reported that Israeli embassy officials in London had sought the involvement of the UK Attorney General’s office in legal actions against protesters. Heavily redacted documents obtained by Palestine Action and reviewed by the Guardian reveal that embassy officials pressured Douglas Wilson, the director general of the Attorney General’s office, to intervene in cases involving UK protesters.
However, in an email to embassy representatives, Wilson emphasized the CPS’s independence, stating that no interventions are possible. Wilson’s May email also mentioned the royal assent of the controversial Police, Crime, Courts, and Sentencing Act, which imposed stricter protest regulations, and the attorney general’s referral of the Colston statue case, leading to a ruling that limited the use of human rights defences in cases of “significant” criminal damage. In response to the FoI request, the AGO justified the redactions, stating that disclosure could harm the UK’s relations with Israel.
The Palestine Action defendants are set for a plea hearing at the Old Bailey on January 17. A bail appeal for Fatema and another defendant was denied on September 3. Their 10-week trial begins on November 17, 2025, at Woolwich Crown Court, meaning they will have spent over 15 months in custody before trial.
The Home Office, CTPSE, and CPS declined to comment on allegations that the Terrorism Act was being misused in the Palestine Action arrests, citing the ongoing nature of the case and the need to avoid sharing information that might affect legal proceedings.
Photo credit: Samuel Corner, 22; Jordon Devlin, 30; Charlotte Head, 28; Leona Kameo, 28; Fatema Rajwani, 20; and Zoe Rogers, 20. (Credit: Palestine Action)
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