About 100 public figures, including actor Sally Rooney, Greta Thunberg, and Brian Cox, have signed an open letter urging UK judge Jeremy Johnson to avoid using a “terrorism connection” when sentencing four Palestine activists linked to actions at an Israeli arms manufacturer’s site in Bristol. The activists—Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, known as the Filton 25—are set for sentencing after the court seeks to add the “terrorism connection” to their cases.
The open letter says the defendants were not charged under terrorism laws, were not tried for terrorism offences, and the jury was never informed of any proposed “terrorism connection” during the trial. It argues that sentencing them as if they were terrorists would amount to a miscarriage of justice and could undermine the right to protest.
The activists were charged in connection with a break-in in August 2024 at a UK premises of Elbit Systems, with criminal damage among the offences. Two other activists, Jordan Devlin and Zoe Rogers, were cleared of charges. The activists have already served about 18 months on remand, according to the reporting.
