Families of Palestine Action activists hail acquittals after Elbit site trial

Six activists were acquitted of aggravated burglary at Woolwich Crown Court, while jurors did not reach verdicts on some criminal damage and other charges.

Six people who took part in a 2024 break-in at an Elbit Systems factory faced trial at Woolwich Crown Court. They were charged with aggravated burglary and other offences after the incident. On February 4, jurors acquitted all six of aggravated burglary and found some defendants not guilty of violent disorder, while other charges remained undecided. Families and supporters gathered outside the court and marked the outcome after a prolonged legal process. Court outcomes: - All six defendants were acquitted of aggravated burglary. - Jurors found Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin not guilty of violent disorder. - The jury could not reach verdicts on criminal damage charges against all six, and did not return decisions on some violent disorder counts and one grievous bodily harm allegation. - Five defendants were granted bail after the verdicts; one defendant remained remanded in custody. - The jury deliberated for about 36 hours after a trial that lasted around 12 weeks. Summary: The acquittals remove aggravated burglary convictions for the six activists and led to visible relief among family members outside court. Several other charges remain unresolved and the next legal steps were not specified in court reports. Undetermined at this time.