UK Jury Fails to Convict Palestine Action Activists Over Elbit Systems Protest

A jury in the United Kingdom has failed to convict eight Palestine Action supporters charged over direct action at a factory operated by Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms manufacturer.

The judge discharged the jury after it returned no convictions against any of the defendants: Madeleine Norman, Hannah Davidson, Teuta Hoxha, Aleksandra Herbich, Ian Sanders, William Plastow, Julia Brigadirova and Sean Middlebrough.

Prosecutors had charged the group with criminal damage and violent disorder over an August 2024 action at the Elbit Systems site in Filton, near Bristol. None of the eight defendants entered the factory during the protest, according to Middle East Eye's reporting on the proceedings.

Why Elbit Systems is a target

Elbit Systems is Israel's largest defense contractor. Its technology is used by Israeli forces, and the company has drawn sustained scrutiny from human rights groups and activists over its role supplying equipment tied to Israel's military operations, including in Gaza. Palestine Action has repeatedly targeted the firm's UK operations as part of a broader campaign against Britain's role in arming Israel.

The Filton facility has become a recurring flashpoint. Direct action campaigns against Elbit's UK sites have drawn increasing legal attention as prosecutors have pursued criminal charges against activists, testing how British courts treat protest tactics aimed at disrupting arms supply chains linked to Israel.

What happens next

The outcome does not end the legal saga. Prosecutors may seek a retrial on the charges that remain unresolved, which would extend proceedings against activists who say their action was a direct response to Britain's material support for Israel's military.

A hung jury is not an acquittal. It means jurors could not reach the unanimous or majority verdict required to convict, leaving open the possibility that the Crown Prosecution Service will bring the case back before a new jury. For now, though, none of the eight defendants stands convicted.

Occupation Watch analysis

The result lands amid growing public and legal friction over the UK's role in Israel's arms pipeline. Juries failing to convict protesters who target companies supplying Israel's military can be read as a signal of shifting public sentiment, even as the state pushes forward with prosecutions. It underscores a widening gap between government policy on arms exports to Israel and the willingness of ordinary citizens sitting on juries to criminalize those who act against it.