Palestine Action activist will 'never regret' raid

A Palestine Action activist who was acquitted of criminal damage following a raid at a UK subsidiary of an Israeli defence firm has said she will "never regret" her involvement.

Zoe Rogers, 22, spent nearly 18 months in custody before a jury cleared her of the charge connected to the break-in at Elbit Systems near Bristol.

She was one of six activists who entered the site in the early hours of 6 August 2024.

Prosecutors said the group aimed to "cause as much damage as possible" in a bid to disrupt operations at the facility, which they believed was being used to manufacture weapons for Israel.

Elbit Systems UK has consistently denied supplying the Israeli army with weapons.

"I'll never regret what I did, because there is a good chance that my actions, or all of our actions, that night saved people's lives," Rogers said.

Rogers, Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani and Jordan Devlin, were acquitted of aggravated burglary following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court in February, but the jury failed to reach verdicts for charges of criminal damage against all six defendants.

They also failed to reach a verdict on charges of violent disorder against Head, Kamio and Corner.

A retrial for the outstanding charges began in April, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the violent disorder charges due to a lack of evidence.

At the end of the retrial, Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani were convicted of criminal damage while Devlin and Rogers were cleared of the same charge.

Corner was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) after he fractured a police officer's spine during the raid. He was cleared of the more serious offence of causing GBH with intent.

A spokesperson for Elbit has said its UK operation provides "highly-skilled career opportunities" to hundreds of people, delivering equipment to the Royal Navy, British Army, The Royal Air Force, European Customers and Nato.

They said any claims its Bristol facility supplies Israel were "completely false".

"We deplore the violent and reckless behaviour of this group [Palestine Action] which for over half a decade has seriously endangered both the safety of people who work in the defence industries and members of the emergency services called on to respond to incidents," they added.

They said the break-in was "extremely serious" and saw its workers "violently attacked".

"Attempts were made to destroy equipment destined for the British Army and a disabled bathroom was extensively vandalised," they added.

"We will continue to do everything possible to protect our employees in Bristol, who perform a vital role in delivering advanced technology to the British Armed Forces."

When asked why she took part, Rogers said she felt "the only option left was to take direct action".

"I signed petitions, spoke to my MP, went on marches, I even did a picket outside an arms factory.

"And it was clear to me that none of it was working."

She said she was not expecting to be held in custody for almost 18 months, but will "never" regret her actions.

In pre-trial rulings that can only now be reported, prosecutors said although the defendants had not faced charges under anti-terror laws, they believed their actions had a terrorism connection.

At the first court hearing, trial judge Mr Justice Johnson agreed with the CPS assessment, but decided terrorism would not form part of the trial.

Rogers, who lives in east London, claimed she was "treated as a terrorist" while in custody at HMP Bronzefield awaiting trial. She said this meant she faced book bans and was not able to use the prison gym.

The spokesperson for the Ashford-based prison said it was unable to comment on individual inmates, but added: "All prisoners are managed in line with the policies and procedures governing the entire UK prison estate.

"This includes specialist multi-agency processes, led by the government, to assess individual risks and security status."

The Ministry of Justice declined to comment. However, its guidance says all prisoners are entitled to fair and equal treatment with inmates assessed in terms of their individual risk and need.

The judge may still be asked to consider a terror link to the Elbit raid when he sentences Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani on 12 June.

Cases with a terrorist connection attract a higher sentence and offenders must notify police of personal information when they are released, according to the CPS.

Palestine Action was banned as a terrorist organisation under a government proscription order in July last year.

The move was declared unlawful by the High Court in February but the group has remained proscribed.

The Court of Appeal is considering an appeal by the government, but it is not known if it will have delivered its ruling when the judge in the Elbit case passes sentence.

Of her time in prison, Rogers said it felt "unjust" but added: "What's happening to my co-defendants is far more unjust.

"And it's something that everyone should be concerned about because it will set a precedent in UK law where you can be found guilty of something as simple as criminal damage and be sentenced as a terrorist," Rogers said.

Rogers, who had been due to start university in autumn 2024, said she was not sure what her future holds.

"I still have that place at university, but I don't know, my life has been irrevocably changed by this," she said.

"I'm going to continue to support my co-defendants who are facing being sentenced as terrorists."

The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary and Elbit Systems UK have been approached for comment.

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