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Palestine Action activists used whips and hammers to threaten guards at arms factory, court hears

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

correspondent, H. S. L. a. (2026, October 2). Palestine Action activists used whips and hammers to threaten guards at arms factory, court hears. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/02/palestine-action-activists-whips-hammers-guards-elbit-bristol

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-10-02 · by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent

Quick Summary

Palestine Action activists allegedly used weapons like whips, hammers, and kebab skewers to threaten security guards during a raid on an Elbit systems factory in Filton near Bristol on August 6, 2024. Five defendants are on trial at Woolwich Crown Court for criminal damage and violent disorder; they deny the charges. Prosecutors claim the break-in was planned to disrupt operations by overwhelming guards so another team could enter and smash up equipment including drones. Security guard Nigel Shaw suffered a head injury during the incident, which prosecutors describe as carefully orchestrated with detailed plans to destroy property.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On August 6, 2024, Palestine Action activists attempted to break into an Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol. Five defendants—Qesser Zuhrah (21), Zahra Farooque (26), Kamran Ahmed (29), Heba Muraisi (31), and Liam Mullany (34)—went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court for criminal damage and violent disorder related to the raid. According to prosecutors, the defendants were part of a "black team" wearing black jumpsuits whose task was to intimidate security guards using whips, hammers, kebab skewers, and smoke grenades. Meanwhile, a "red team," dressed in red jumpsuits, entered the factory and damaged equipment including drones. Security guard Nigel Shaw suffered a 4cm laceration when he used an umbrella against a member of the black team. The trial began on Friday with the defendants denying all charges.

Written for “Palestinian Activists Violence Trial” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Palestinian Activists Violence Trial
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 4 of 18 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles describe different events involving distinct groups and locations; Article A focuses on a break-in at an arms factory near Bristol with the use of weapons, while Article B discusses a pro-Hamas group operating on a college campus in Seattle.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
2 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 2785 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent
8 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 After the ban was introduced, Rooney, whose books include Normal People and Conversations with Friends, said that she would use proceeds from her sales to support Palestine Action.
🔮 Phillips said that if the supreme court upheld the court of appeal’s decision when it hears the case on Wednesday and Thursday, it would prevent police from being held accountable for failures in cases of violence against women and girls.
🔮 The Irish novelist, whose books include Normal People and Conversations With Friends, said her public support for the direct action group meant she could no longer receive royalties from UK sales.
🔮 It is a disgrace that not a single government agency will take responsibility for checking on their welfare at slaughter.
🔮 Five defendants are accused by prosecutors of being part of a “black team”, wearing black jumpsuits, whose role was to overwhelm security guards, so that a “red team”, wearing red jumpsuits, could break into the Elbit systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, and smash up equipment including drones.
🔮 Free speech will be a big concern for voters at the next general election, with the government’s current approach on the issue perceived by many to be bad for Britain, polling suggests.
🔮 Phillips wrote: “The deputy judge is to be commended on his willingness to hear a case whilst recovering from injury and his fortitude in doing so in bed, in trying circumstances.
🔮 The 68-year-old will appear at Westminster magistrates court on a date to be fixed accused of indecently assaulting a girl aged 16 or 17 in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1991, the Metropolitan police said.
Also by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 8 articles by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent →

Topics

Elbit Filton Israel Palestine Action Woolwich

Subjects

Elbit ORG · 2× Heer PERSON · 2× Israel GPE · 2× Nigel Shaw PERSON · 2× Palestine Action ORG · 2× Filton GPE · 1× Heba Muraisi PERSON · 1× Kamran Ahmed PERSON · 1× Qesser Zuhrah PERSON · 1× Zahra Farooque PERSON · 1×

Narrative

It is clear, the prosecution submit, that Nigel Shaw was physically attacked and [was] caused injury but violence was also used or threatened by the black team before then when they threw fireworks or smoke grenades or cracked whips and brandished skewers in order to intimidate the security guards and keep them away.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 Five defendants are accused by prosecutors of being part of a “black team”, wearing black jumpsuits, whose role was to overwhelm security guards, so that a “red team”, wearing red jumpsuits, could break into the Elbit systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, and smash up equipment including drones.

Claims (17 extracted, 2 hedged)

Palestine Action activists brandished whips, hammers and kebab skewers to intimidate security guards and keep them at bay during a break-in at an Israel-linked arms factory, a court has heard. asserted
court → brandish → factory
Five defendants are accused by prosecutors of being part of a “black team”, wearing black jumpsuits, whose role was to overwhelm security guards, so that a “red team”, wearing red jumpsuits, could break into the Elbit systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, and smash up equipment including drones. uncertain
team → accuse → drones
Qesser Zuhrah, 21, Zahra Farooque, 26, Kamran Ahmed, 29, Heba Muraisi, 31, and Liam Mullany, 34, went on trial at Woolwich crown court on Friday charged with criminal damage and violent disorder over the raid during the early hours of 6 August 2024. asserted
Zuhrah → go → August
They deny the charges. asserted
They → deny → charges
The prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told the jury that an alleged plan of the raid, discovered by police, said: “Shut Elbit Down. asserted
plan → tell → Elbit
We can do that by sticking together and ensuring its destruction with our brains and muscle.” asserted
We → do → brains
Jurors were told that a security guard, Nigel Shaw, who had struck a member of the black team across the back of his legs with an umbrella, suffered a 4cm laceration to his head after being attacked. asserted
who → tell → head
Heer said: “The role of the black team was to overwhelm the security guards so that the red team could break into the factory. uncertain
team → say → factory
They did so by threatening, intimidating and, if necessary, assaulting the guards, by throwing fireworks at them and brandishing weapons, such as whips and hammers and large kebab skewers. asserted
They → do → whips
“When one of the black team was detained by a security guard, other members of the group attacked him, hitting him until he released their colleague, leaving the security guard with a laceration to his head.” asserted
he → detain → head
She told the court the break-in was carefully planned and a prison van, driven by a member of the red team, crashed through the first perimeter fence surrounding Elbit’s factory at about 3.30am. asserted
van → tell → 3.30am
The black team followed on foot shouting slogans including “Free Palestine” as the van was driven through a second perimeter fence at the site of the firm, whose parent company is based in Israel. asserted
company → follow → Israel
Heer said: “The footage shows that the black team used or threatened violence against the security guards that night. asserted
team → say → guards
It is clear, the prosecution submit, that Nigel Shaw was physically attacked and [was] caused injury but violence was also used or threatened by the black team before then when they threw fireworks or smoke grenades or cracked whips and brandished skewers in order to intimidate the security guards and keep them away. asserted
they → submit → them
She said the idea was for the red team to destroy “as much property as possible” before the police arrived and they used fire extinguishers filled with red paint to spray the walls and floor, crowbars and sledgehammers to smash apart computer equipment and drones and also damaged a disabled toilet. asserted
they → say → toilet
The court was told that the plan for the break-in described the black team, who had their faces covered, as “coverts” because the intention was “to get away without being caught”, unlike the red team who were labelled “overts”. asserted
who → tell → team
The trial continues. asserted
trial → continue → ?
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