British police have released dramatic footage of a break-in that took place in August 2024, carried out by six activists from the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action at an Elbit factory in the city of Bristol. During the recorded clashes, one of the activists attacked officers with a hammer, causing serious injury to one of them.
The video, recorded on the body-worn camera of an officer who was dispatched to the scene, was presented this week in a London court as part of the trial of the six defendants. According to the indictment, the activists broke into the factory armed with hammers and axes, causing extensive damage to equipment. One of them, Samuel Corner, is also accused of assaulting officers.
Police officer Kate Evans, who was seriously injured in the back as a result of the hammer blow, testified, "I thought my spine had collapsed. He accused us of being involved in genocide, and said something about killing babies. I told him, 'You just attacked me with a hammer'."
Alongside Evans, officer Aaron Buxton also testified that he was attacked during the same incident. He said he was lying on the factory floor beside one of the activists when another activist suddenly appeared, swung a hammer at him and struck his leg and his radio.
The factory that was broken into belongs to Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of the Israeli weapons manufacturer. The company stated that the Bristol site served the British military only. Later in the year, it was reported that the site would close, but Elbit said this was a business decision not driven by the protests.