More than 100 public figures, including Greta Thunberg, Bobby Vylan, Sally Rooney and Alaa Abd El Fattah, have signed an open letter warning that four UK pro-Palestine activists could effectively be sentenced as terrorists despite never being charged with terrorism offences.
In the letter, the signatories argue that applying a terrorism connection at the sentencing stage of a criminal damage case would amount to a "grave miscarriage of justice" and set a dangerous precedent for civil liberties in Britain.
The four defendants, Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, are among the Filton 25 activists convicted of criminal damage after taking direct action at an Elbit Systems UK factory near Bristol in August 2024. They are due to be sentenced on 12 June.
The signatories, who include politicians, actors, musicians, authors, artists and journalists, among them Professor Avi Shlaim and author Mohammed El-Kurd, argued that the activists should not be treated as terrorists for taking action against an Israeli arms manufacturer.
The activists were found guilty of criminal damage after dismantling weapons at the Elbit Systems UK site, an action the letter's signatories say "may well have saved lives".
The open letter highlights that the defendants were barred from explaining their motivations to the jury, and argues that experts across multiple fields agree that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza while the UK continues to supply it with arms.
According to the letter, jurors were not told that members of the Filton 25 could face extended prison sentences under terrorism provisions despite not being charged with terrorism offences.
"Never before has a link to terrorism been imposed at the sentencing stage in a criminal damage case. The implications for civil liberties in Britain are difficult to overstate," the letter said.
"To bypass the jury and sentence a group of protesters as terrorists would constitute an extremely grave miscarriage of justice, with consequences far beyond this case alone," it added.
Prominent Irish author Sally Rooney said the actions of the Filton 25 could not be considered terrorism because they posed no threat to the public.
"These activists may have knowingly risked their freedom in taking action, but they now face the prospect of punishment for crimes they were never convicted of and did not commit. This is an obvious effort to undermine solidarity with Palestine, but what it really undermines is UK law," she said.
Musician Charlotte Church said the government had failed in its duty to prevent genocide in Palestine and was now targeting those who had attempted to stop it.
"Courts are lashing out at young people who acted to try and stop it, when it's those making weapons for Israel that should be facing jail," she said.
The letter concludes that the activists carried out the action only after exhausting other avenues, including protests, writing to MPs and joining encampments.
It argues that dismantling weapons at the factory was a last resort in an effort to uphold international law.
"To sentence them on the basis of a 'terrorism connection' would not only be unjust and cruel: it would gravely undermine the right to protest and the impartiality of the judicial system itself. We demand that you reconsider before it is too late," the letter said.