(Bristol, February 11, 2026) — A film and media studies student has described her acquittal on aggravated burglary charges following a protest at an Israeli defence firm’s UK site as a vindication of the cause.
Fatema Rajwani, 21, was acquitted, along with five other Palestine Action activists, over a 2024 break-in at the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol.
- Fatema Rajwani, 21, and five other activists were cleared of aggravated burglary.
- Rajwani stated she damaged drones at the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, Bristol, in August 2024.
- The Crown Prosecution Service will seek a retrial on charges of criminal damage and violent disorder.
- Rajwani described the 18 months spent in jail as traumatic.
Break-in and Acquittal
Fatema Rajwani was released on bail last Wednesday after a jury at Woolwich crown court acquitted her of aggravated burglary and violent disorder in connection with the raid on the Elbit Systems factory on August 6, 2024, according to reporting from The Guardian.
Rajwani told jurors, “I had damaged drones, which is what I went in to do,” and, commenting on video footage, stated, “That is me dismantling a quadcopter drone with a crowbar.”
‘Vindication of Our Cause’
Rajwani said the verdicts were “a reflection of the reality that the first chance that the public had to decide what happened to us, they vindicated us.” She added, “It is plain to see that the British public do not want their citizens to be scapegoated for this Labour government’s political aims, they do not want to be criminalised for supporting a people’s inalienable right to freedom, to dignity, and to self-determination.”
The prosecution argued that security guards were “whipped and sworn at” and that the defendants were armed with sledgehammers “to be used if necessary to threaten and damage people.”
Defence Argument and Failed Verdict
The defence contended that any violence was unplanned, security guards used excessive force, and missing CCTV footage provided an incomplete picture of events. Samuel Corner, 23, a co-defendant, was accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) on police sergeant Kate Evans, but the jury failed to reach a verdict on that charge.
Rajwani stated the jury’s decision was based on a full review of the evidence, unlike what she described as “highly edited and cherrypicked footage” used by critics and politicians. She asserted that the group’s intention was to dismantle weapons “being used in a genocide.”
Retrial Planned
While none of the six defendants were convicted of an offence, the jury also failed to reach verdicts on charges of criminal damage and violent disorder related to three of Rajwani’s co-defendants. The Crown Prosecution Service announced on Saturday it would seek a retrial, a prospect Rajwani described as “difficult.”
“The last 18 months have been traumatic,” Rajwani said. “I am still living the nightmare in parts, I can’t hear a police siren without being transported back to the terrorism suite, I can’t hear keys jangling without being terrified I’ll be locked up. I am still scared of being yelled at for hugging my mother for too long.”
Returning to Normal Life
Despite the ordeal, Rajwani expressed joy at regaining simple freedoms. “I’ve been doing all the things I haven’t been able to since I was incarcerated, eating real food, using metal cutlery, eating on ceramic plates, taking the bus and hugging the people I love for more than the prison allocated five-second embrace,” she said.
“I opened the front door to my house, with my own key. We got home that first night and my uncle had brought us all a big bag of takeout and we had chicken jalfrezi and crispy chicken, real spicy food. Aside from that, I’m just enjoying the fresh air and the ability to walk in a straight line, just because of how much our movement was analysed, punished and restricted within prison walls.”
Time.news based this report in part on reporting by The Guardian and added independent analysis and context.
