HUMAN rights campaigners and MPs hailed a “huge victory” for six Filton 24 activists in the face of “extraordinary political pressure” after a jury acquitted them of all charges today.

Following eight full days of deliberation, defendants in the Palestine Action-linked case were not convicted of a single charge after breaking into a British site of Israel-based arms firm Elbit Systems.

Defend Our Juries called the verdicts a “huge blow” to ministers who tried to make Palestine Action into “a violent group to justify banning it under badly drafted terrorism legislation.”

And MPs joined rights groups to say the case proves the importance of jury trials after the Justice Secretary David Lammy recently announced plans to scrap the majority of juries in England and Wales.

Labour MP Kim Johnson told the Morning Star that the verdicts were “a resounding victory for the Palestine activists and for the fundamental principle of trial by jury.”

Activists had been held on remand for over 17 months accused of using or threatening unlawful violence and using sledgehammers during their action on the factory in Filton near Bristol.

Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Ellie (Leona) Kamio, 30, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 20, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, had faced a series of charges for the action in August 2024.

Despite five of them admitting in court to destroying weapons belonging to Israel’s largest arms manufacturers Elbit Systems, the jury refused to convict the defendants of criminal damage.

Mr Corner was also not convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent for striking a police officer.

The rest of the Filton 24 are still being held on remand in relation to the action, which sought to disrupt and expose Elbit’s role in manufacturing weapons used in attacks on Palestinians, including drones.

At a press conference following the acquittal, Clare Rogers, the mother of Zoe, said that her daughter could not stand by as witnessed what was happening in Gaza so “direct action against the weapons suppliers themselves was the only way.”

Emma Kamio, the mother of Leona, said it was clear that “the Filton 24 took action to save lives.”

The head of campaigns at human rights group Cage, Naila Ahmed, called the decision “a huge victory” for all those who campaigned for the defendants, adding that the result was a “powerful affirmation of jury independence and moral courage in the face of extraordinary political pressure.”

She said: “Though they cannot get back the 17 months of their life taken from them unlawfully, they should all be compensated and the remaining 18 defendants of the Filton 24 should also be released on bail.”

Ms Ahmed explained that the case was used to justify the proscription of Palestine Action and called for that decision to be overturned.

A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said: “Despite government efforts to prejudice this trial, citing the allegations of violence to justify treating Palestine Action as ‘terrorists,’ as if they were already proved, the jury which heard the evidence has refused to find the defendants guilty of anything, not even criminal damage.

“It shows how out of step this government is with public opinion, which is revulsed by the government and Elbit’s complicity in genocide.

“Palestine Action never advocated causing harm to people and never caused unlawful violence to a person in over 400 actions.

“Their aim was always to save lives by causing damage to companies like Elbit Systems whose made-in-Britain quadcopter drones have been killing innocent civilians in Gaza.”

Ms Johnson said: “A jury has refused to criminalise people who took action to stop a genocide.

“This outcome lays bare just how disproportionate the proscription of Palestine Action was, and how dangerous it is to deploy anti-terror powers against legitimate protest.

“These activists have been held on remand for up to 17 months and subjected to inhumane restrictions usually reserved for terrorists — despite never being charged with any terrorism offence.

“The impact on them, their families, and their communities has been severe. It must end.”

She added: “The intrusion on freedom of assembly and expression has gone on long enough. These people stood with Palestine and with humanity. Today, the justice system has upheld their right to do so.”

Labour MP Jon Trickett told the Morning Star the verdicts were “a great victory for the Filton 24 and above all shows that the attack on the jury system is totally wrong.”