Filton 18
 Filton 18(Activism)     | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eighteen Palestine Action activists |
The Filton 18 are a group of Palestine Action activists who, in August 2024, forced their way through the doors of a UK base of Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems at Filton, on the outskirts of Bristol.
On 18 February 2026, all 24 of the group of Palestine activists were acquitted of “aggravated burglary” after state prosecutors offered no evidence for the charge. The trial of the first six — Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Ellie Kamio, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin — ended on 4 February 2026. They were acquitted of “aggravated burglary” which meant the jury rejected the prosecution’s case that the defendants entered the weapons factory with the intention of using weapons against people.
Now the remaining Filton 18 have been acquitted of the charge in a “significant victory”.
Background
The Filton 24 were taking direct action against the UK's complicity in Israel’s brutal war in Gaza – which has been described by United Nations experts and many others as genocidal – and attempting to disrupt the work of the Filton facility. Palestine Action has since continued to protest at buildings Elbit owns near Bristol.[1]
Elbit Systems UK is a subsidiary of the largest manufacturer of arms for the Israeli military. Elbit produces 85% of the Israel Defence Force’s (IDF) land-based equipment, and 85% of drones used by its air force, and advertises its products as “battle-tested” in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to Palestine Action, the action which took place in August 2024 included damaging quadcopter drones being manufactured in the UK which may have been otherwise shipped for use in Gaza. Quadcopter drones have been widely used by the Israeli army in its ongoing genocide, the robotic devices are regularly used to kill and surveil Palestinians under occupation both in Gaza and in the West Bank.
Six arrested
On 6 August 2024, six Palestine Action activists were arrested for entering Elbit Systems in Filton, Bristol, in protest of the company’s profiteering from Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Palestine Action activists were initially held under the 2000 Terrorism Act, which allowed authorities to hold and question them without charge for up to 14 days. During the course of seven days, the activists were held in solitary confinement and were not allowed to have any visitors or communication with family.
A week later, they were charged.[2]
Government's ban unlawful
Eighteen months on from the August 2024 break-in, many of the Palestine Action activists were languishing behind bars until their trial, which was set for February 2027.[3]
On 13 February 2026, a panel of three Judges at the Royal Courts of Justice ruled that the Labour government’s proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful.
The Filton 24 campaign said:
“It is clear that the state’s overreach has truly backfired. The message is now clear—the repression must end and so should the ongoing government involvement in the ongoing Gaza genocide.”[4]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Palestine Action to be proscribed as a terror group after break-in at UK's largest airbase | Article | 20 June 2025 | MEE staff | Palestine Action have carried out a series of high-profile actions during Israel's war on Gaza. Eighteen PA activists were arrested on terror charges after an action in August 2024 when activists drove a modified van into the research and development hub of UK-based Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, in Filton, Bristol. The Filton 18 are currently being held in remand. |
References
- ↑ "The Debrief – Filton 18, the Palestine Action activists hit by anti-terror laws amid the British state’s crackdown on dissent"
- ↑ "Activists could face long jail sentences because their action against an Israeli arms company has been classified as ‘terrorism’"
- ↑ "'Filton 18' Palestine Action Activists Face Trial in the UK"
- ↑ "Another setback for British state as Filton 24 acquitted of ‘aggravated burglary’"
