Pro-Palestine activists acquitted of burglary at Israeli arms site in UK

Filton24 defendants, members of Palestine Action, found not guilty as prosecutors fail to provide evidence.

All defendants in the Filton24 case in the United Kingdom have been formally acquitted of aggravated burglary at an Israeli arms company, after prosecutors said they could offer no evidence to support the charge.

At a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it was unable to proceed against those who had yet to go on trial, the Filton24 Defence Committee said in a news release.

The defendants, who are linked to the proscribed campaign group Palestine Action, are accused of taking part in a break-in at a UK branch of Elbit Systems in Bristol.

Five of those granted bail, all on remand between 14-18 months, will all be released on Wednesday, apart from one person who will have to be granted bail for another case she is charged with first.

It’s the second high-profile win for Palestine Action, and the pro-Palestine community in general in the UK, after the High Court ruled last week that the government’s ban on Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful and disproportionate.

The decision on Wednesday comes after “the first six on trial from the Filton24 were all acquitted of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge by far levelled against the defendants, which carried a maximum sentence of life in prison,” the statement said.

“Three of the defendants, including Zoe Rogers, Fatema Zainab Rajwani and Jordan Devlin, were also acquitted of violent disorder. On the remaining counts, the jury reached no verdicts, meaning the six were not convicted of any offence.”

A spokesperson for the Filton24 Defence Committee described the development as a “significant victory”.

“The charge was always used as a tool to repress the defendants and justify imprisoning them for up to two years before trial, which far exceeded the six-month custody time limit,” they said.

According to Filton24 Defence, prosecutors said there will be a retrial on charges where no verdicts were reached. Several defendants are expected to apply for bail in the coming weeks.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private arms company and has been the target of several demonstrations amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

The war has led to repeated, sustained protests across the UK, alongside legal challenges over protest-related arrests and the approach to pro-Palestine activism.

More than 1,600 arrests of peaceful protesters holding placards were linked to support for Palestine Action in the months after the initial ban.