The Conservative Party is calling for a retrial of several Palestine Action activists who were acquitted this week over a raid on Israeli defense company Elbit’s factory in Britain, the Telegraph reported Thursday.
Six defendants were cleared Wednesday of aggravated burglary in connection with the August 6, 2024, break‑in at the Elbit Systems facility in Filton, near Bristol. The incident caused more than £1 million in damage and left a police officer with a fractured spine.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court was unable to reach verdicts on other charges, including grievous bodily harm against one defendant and two counts of criminal damage related to the spraying of red paint and the destruction of computers with hammers.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, wrote on Thursday to Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson urging a retrial on the unresolved charges. Philp said Crown Prosecution Service guidance allows for a retrial when a jury fails to reach a verdict, there is “sufficient evidence" for a realistic prospect of conviction, and a retrial is in the public interest.
“I therefore urge you to seek a retrial on these charges. There is no justification for this violence, no matter how strongly someone feels about a cause," Philp wrote. “This verdict risks giving the green light to mob violence in pursuit of a political objective."
The Police Federation also wrote to Parkinson, warning of “serious concerns" about the “operational and safety" implications for officers dealing with protests and public order situations.
During the raid, Sgt. Kate Evans was struck with a sledgehammer and suffered a fractured spine. The court heard that the activists, dressed in red jumpsuits, rammed a repurposed prison van into the loading bay before destroying equipment with sledgehammers and crowbars.
The jury failed to reach verdicts on additional counts, including criminal damage, violent disorder, and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, leaving open the possibility of a retrial.
Philp highlighted footage showing one of the defendants appearing to strike Sgt. Evans on the back with a sledgehammer while she was on the ground. He also cited video evidence showing activists spraying red paint from fire extinguishers and smashing computer equipment and technical products.
British police recently released footage from the Palestine Action raid on the Elbit factory.
At the start of the trial in November, prosecutors told the jury at Woolwich Crown Court that the defendants were part of a larger group involved in the attack. The activists argued they were motivated by a desire to stop what they called Israel's "genocide" in Gaza and admitted they intended to damage the factory, but also claimed they opposed violence against people.
The British government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organization last July, days after its activists protesting the Gaza war broke into an air force base in southern England, causing an estimated £7 million in damage to two aircraft.
Palestine Action has challenged the ban in court.
Founded in 2020, Palestine Action describes itself as a “direct action" network opposing what it calls British “complicity" with Israel, particularly in relation to arms sales.
The group also previously defaced a painting of Lord Balfour at Trinity College Cambridge, spraying the portrait with red paint and slashing it.
In another incident, Palestine Action members stole two busts of Israel’s first President, Chaim Weizmann, from a glass cabinet at Manchester University.