Protesters gather outside court for start of ‘Elbit 7’ trial

A protester outside Bristol Crown Court said he wanted to see the trial of the ‘Elbit 7’ be the equivalent to the high profile ‘Colston 4’ case.

People carrying Palestinian flags and banners gathered outside the court on Small Street on Monday morning for the first day of proceedings in the case of seven activists charged with burglary and criminal damage after allegedly breaking into and occupying Elbit Systems in Aztec West in May 2022.

The trial, which has been already delayed once, started in front of a packed public gallery. All seven defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

An application by prosecutor Richard Posner to adjourn proceedings due to the potential impact of a case going before the Court of Appeal in February was rejected by judge Michael Cullum.

The Court of Appeal case will consider whether claims that protesters honestly believed organisations affected by their stunts would have consented to the damage can be a defence in court, an argument that has been used by environmental campaign groups resulting in acquittals for criminal damage.

After hearing the impact further delays would have on defendants, judge Cullum said he was not prepared to adjourn the trial, saying: “This would clearly provide a significant burden on defendants – all of whom would be significantly affected and restricted by an adjournment.”

He added: “I can only deal with the law as it stands before me.”

People arriving at Bristol Crown Court for the start of the trial of the seven charged over the occupation of Elbit Systems’ Filton office

Beginning his opening statement, Posner outlined the events on May 15 2022, when the defendants allegedly broke into and damaged the Aztec West base of Elbit Systems, an international defence contractor with a parent company based in Israel.

Posner told the court the group had arrived with sledge hammers, glass hammers and fire extinguishers, saying that “the group had arrived intent on attacking, breaking into and occupying the building”.

The prosecution continued: “The arrival of this group was the culmination of a planned operation. Its purpose was to put enough pressure on to force the company to leave the UK.

“The owners of the building, Sedgemoor Borough Council as it then was, had no knowledge of this campaign and did not give consent.”

The court heard how a security guard, named as Mr Lewis, “ran towards the group to try to stop them from entering and attacking the building”.

Posner said the security guard took sledge hammers and glass hammers off the defendants and removed an extendable ladder from one of the downstairs window in a bid to stop them entering the building.

The prosecution said: “Mr Lewis remembers words being shouted by the group: ‘Shut Elbit down, do you know what they do? They kill children with what they do.'”

Posner added: “The group did not direct any violence towards Mr Lewis, it was all directed towards the building and facilitating entry.”

The court was shown a short clip of CCTV showing people dressed in red clothing daubing the Elbit HQ with paint and attempting to gain entry.

The opening statement for the prosecution will conclude on Tuesday as the trial continues.

Protesters gathered outside Bristol Crown Court for the start of the trial on Monday

All photos: Rob Browne