'Bring it on': Released UK Palestine Action activist gears up for retrial

Six members of Palestine Action were acquitted on 4 February, ending an 11-week trial and more than a year-and-a-half in prison, with one of the released activists telling The New Arab of their 16-month ordeal behind bars and the fight for freedom.

The activist and 18 others, known as the Filton 24, were arrested and charged in connection with damage estimated at more than £1 million at an Elbit Systems site in the UK.

The six faced charges of aggravated burglary, violent disorder and criminal damage, which they denied. After 36 hours of deliberations, the jury cleared all six of the charges of aggravated burglary. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the criminal damage charges, and all but one of the six were granted bail.

"I honestly just nodded along to the verdicts," Zoe Rogers, one of the Filton Six, told The New Arab. "They were what I was expecting - to be convicted of anything would have been an injustice."

"I think it's very telling that judges and politicians and people with immense amounts of power chose to keep us in prison for 18 months without trial and take away our human rights, and then the moment ordinary people are given any say in what happens to us, we were set free."

Rogers, along with the rest of the Filton 24, was arrested on the day of the protest and held on remand.

She said she has not yet processed her release on bail and still faces a retrial on charges of criminal damage and violent disorder, on which the jury failed to reach a verdict.

A provisional retrial date has been set for 16 February 2027, and Rogers is confident the group can beat the charges.

Alongside the six, the remaining 18 defendants were also cleared of aggravated burglary, the most serious charge, after prosecutors said they would not pursue that count. They were granted conditional bail. Applications relating to a further eight defendants are expected to be heard.

Speaking outside the court to supporters, Rogers said she was relieved at the outcome.

"It makes me incredibly happy to see the rest of the Filton 24 get some justice after 18 long months in prison," Zoe says.

"The charge of aggravated burglary was always ridiculous, described as prosecutorial overreach in our trial, and only existed to justify proscription, which the Home Office had been looking into long before our action."

Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, a decision that was later ruled unlawful. The move followed a separate incident in June at RAF Brize Norton, where activists were alleged to have caused damage to aircraft.

The activists allegedly caused almost £7 million of damage to aircraft linked to military supplies to Israel and were subsequently charged the following month.

Supporters of the group have criticised the designation, and arrests have taken place at protests in support of the organisation.