Activist intended to 'dismantle drones' in raid

A Palestine Action activist has told a court her aim was to "dismantle as many weapons as possible" during a raid at the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm.

Fatema Rajwani, 21, is among six defendants accused of breaking into the Elbit Systems site near Bristol on 6 August 2024 and destroying property inside.

At Woolwich Crown Court earlier, she told the jury the group's "specific intention was to dismantle drones and weaponry" in a bid to disrupt operations.

After clashing with security guards and police at the scene, Rajwani said her thoughts at the time were simply "we managed to get inside Elbit, it's accessible".

Rajwani, along with Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, all deny charges of criminal damage.

Corner denies a further charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after striking Sgt Kate Evans in the back with a sledgehammer.

Once inside the building, the group used sledgehammers and crowbars to destroy computers, drones, equipment and inventory.

Red paint was sprayed around the factory using fire extinguishers, with toilets and partition walls also destroyed. Rajwani denies being involved in this destruction.

The university student said the sledgehammer "was very heavy" and she "could barely lift it".

She told the court she had intended to use the weapon to smash drones which she described as "a weapon that I believe would kill and injure children".

She said: "Justice and truth have always been central to my life growing up."

Elbit Systems UK has previously denied supplying the Israeli army with weapons.

Rajwani recalled a point where everything had "gone badly wrong" after security staff intervened to stop the group.

A security guard began "screaming" for the activists to "get on the floor", she told the court.

"We thought this guy is going to injure us if we do not get down," she said.

"We were just a bit hysterical and terrified. This was over.

"We got arrested and, again, we were a bit hysterical and thinking 'what the hell just happened?'

"Everything at that point had gone badly wrong. I was not prepared for a security guard coming in."

Rajwani had recorded the raid before she was arrested but she told the court she would not have made the video if she had known Sgt Evans had been injured.

The camera, which was strapped to her helmet, was later found in a bin though she denies putting it there.

She also described a phone she had with her that day as "communal" and she said she did not use it to connect the activists to a chat group where they could exchange messages.

The trial continues.

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