Supporters gathered outside Woolwich Crown Court to celebrate after six Palestine Action activists were acquitted of aggravated burglary following a high-profile trial over a direct action at an Elbit Systems UK factory in Bristol.
The six defendants — known as the Filton 6 — were prosecuted over an early-morning action at the Israeli-owned arms company’s Filton site in August 2024.
Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin had been accused of aggravated burglary and violent disorder after targeting the factory as part of protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.
Jurors unanimously acquitted all six of aggravated burglary, rejecting the prosecution’s central case.
Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin were also cleared of violent disorder and jurors were unable to reach verdicts on the same charge against Head, Corner and Kamio.
After more than 36 hours of deliberation, the jury failed to reach verdicts on criminal damage charges against all six defendants — despite five acknowledging they had damaged weapons and equipment at the site as part of the protest.
Corner faced an allegation of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, accused of striking a police officer with a sledgehammer during the incident. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on that charge.
He was the only defendant denied bail.
Defendants say actions were in self-defence
Throughout the trial, prosecutors claimed the activists entered the factory prepared to use violence against security guards.
The defendants strongly disputed this, insisting the tools they carried were intended solely to disable weapons and infrastructure, not to harm people. They said they acted in self-defence after security staff responded with what they described as excessive force.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it will now “carefully consider” whether to seek retrials on the unresolved charges, with a decision expected within seven days.
All six activists spent around 18 months on remand — well beyond standard UK custodial time limits — a period supporters described as punitive and disproportionate.
Palestine Action says Elbit Systems UK plays a role in supplying weapons used by the Israeli military — an allegation the company denies.
The action took place before the UK government proscribed Palestine Action in July 2025. Support for the group is now criminalised under terrorism legislation — a move civil liberties groups and campaigners have condemned as an attack on protest and dissent.
