Seven due at Old Bailey over anti-Israel violence

Seven people have appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with a variety of offences after an attack at Elbit Systems in south Gloucestershire, which prosecutors say was staged by Palestine Action.

The group were allegedly armed with whips, sledgehammers and axes and are said by prosecutors to have caused around £1 million worth of damage. Elbit is Israel’s leading defence system company.

The attack on the Elbit warehouse took place in the early hours of August 6, when the group used a van — said by prosecutors to be a repurposed prison vehicle — to smash through the doors of the premises. Avon and Somerset police were called and two police officers were allegedly assaulted as well as Elbit employees.

The seven defendants, all of whom were remanded in custody, have been charged with criminal damage and aggravated burglary.

Six of the seven have also been charged with violent disorder over the action. One of the group – Samuel Corner, 22 – has additionally been charged with grievous bodily harm for allegedly hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer and two charges of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Those charged range in age from 20 to 51.

A woman from South Wales, who was previously arrested in relation to this investigation was subsequently released with no further action.

Prosecutor Laura Jeffrey told Westminster magistrates that “Elbit has been the repeated target of both protests and attacks,” adding that “while none of the defendants were charged with “terrorism offences per se”, the charges had “a terrorist connection”.

All seven were remanded in custody ahead of their next court appearance at the Old Bailey on September. 13. They have not yet had to enter a plea.

On its website, Palestine Action said: “Direct action against Elbit aims to disrupt this: targeting the source of colonial violence and genocide against the Palestinian people, undermining Elbit’s profiteering from Israel’s daily massacres”.