The following article by Lynda Walker was first published in Unity, the weekly paper of the Irish Communist Party.
THE case against Palestine Action has been condemned by thousands of people who see the full implications of the use, misuse and changes in law by the British Government. Human rights organisations like Liberty, Amnesty International and others have challenged the actions of the Government and hundreds of activists involved in opposition to genocide in Palestine have been arrested for their support for Palestine Action. In June 2026 four of the group were sentenced to jail, here are details:
Samuel Corner, 23, was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison, including on the count of grievous bodily harm and criminal damage. He will be eligible for parole after seven years and eight months.
Charlotte Head, 30, and Leona Kamio, 30, were each jailed for six years less 45 days for causing criminal damage. The pair will be eligible for parole after four years and 320 days. Head was also disqualified from driving for one year because she was driving the prison van that the group used as a "battering ram" to get inside the Elbit Systems UK factory.
Fatema Rajwani, 21, was jailed for five years and eight months less 45 days for causing criminal damage. She will be eligible for parole after four years and 200 days.
Liberty points out that "In recent years, the UK's application of the terrorism definition has expanded significantly. Most recently, Liberty intervened in the case regarding the proscription of Palestine Action, arguing it was a disproportionate use of counter-terror powers. Laws that were designed to address serious threats to national security are increasingly being used beyond their original purpose. Liberty believes the UK's definition of terrorism is so broad that it risks undermining people's fundamental rights, including free speech and protest. A clearer definition would ensure this law remains a vital tool for public safety and national security and not open to misuse."
Despite the restrictions on reporting on the Filton 4 there are reams and reams of material that has been published or shared online. On the 20th of July Harriet Williamson, editor and reporter for Novara Media, carried out interviews with Filton 4 defendants Ellie Kamio and Lottie Head, who as stated were sentenced last month as "terrorists" to six-year prison terms, now further subjected to an enhanced contact vetting (ECV) scheme which for the foreseeable future will limit their contact to a maximum of twenty suitably screened and approved people. The interviews and reports are remarkable detailing with their support for Palestine, their arrests and trail and their experiences in the privately owned prison.
Another interview was held with William Plaslow who was acquitted of violent disorder by the presiding judge, Patrick Field, who concluded that the prosecution had not produced enough evidence against him. Paslow continues to face criminal damage charges. He told the court that he had been held on remand for 18 months following his arrest on 9 August 2024 but was granted bail on compassionate grounds to spend the last four days of his mother's life at her bedside. "I missed the last year of her life," Plastow said.
Plastow admits he purchased equipment for Palestine Action but denies knowing it was intended for use in the raid, stating he was unaware of the site's existence at the time. He is the only one of the defendants not alleged to have travelled to Bristol to assist with the action, instead remaining at his home in Manchester.
He told jurors that his awareness of Israel's actions in Gaza "increased vastly" in the wake of 7 October 2023, and that he was "seeing those images every day of kids being blown into pieces, massacres, buildings being knocked down with everyone inside them". When asked by his lawyer, Alex Rose, how he felt seeing these images, he responded: "How is anyone supposed to feel about seeing dismembered children and not being able to do anything about it?" Plastow said he had done "all the stuff you're supposed to do", including marches, writing to his MP, signing petitions, but noted that "it felt very obvious that all of that was pretty futile." (Katherine Hearst Middles East Eye)
The action by the British Government not to acknowledge the terrorist genocide of Israel is in stark contact to how they are dealing with those who are trying to save Palestinian lives.