After FIFTEEN MONTHS IN PRISON – without being convicted of any crime – the first six of the Filton 24 have begun their trial at Woolwich Crown Court. All were arrested inside the Elbit facility in August 2024.
The trial began on 17 November and is expected to last around 8 weeks, not including a 2-week break over the Christmas period.
Get trial updates
- Our friends at Da’m – Defend and Mobilise – are sending out regular trial updates. Sign up for them here
- RealMedia is posting detailed, daily updates from court on its website
- Make sure you are also signed up to our Free the Filton 24 newsletter for occasional updates on all 24.
Come and support them during the trial
Every Friday there will be supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court all day – come and join them!
NOTE: Supporters MUST NOT shout or hold placards saying ‘Free the Filton 24’ or approach individual members of the public. Either action could result in criminal charges for influencing the jury and adversely affect the trial.
Attending court from prison is brutal
All of our loved ones have been refused bail multiple times and the time of the trial is no exception. This means they have to attend from prison.
Lottie, Ellie, Fatema Zainab and Zoe are held in HMP Bronzefield, Surrey. They are woken at 5am and driven in a Serco prison van to court, taking 2.5 hours, often leaving and arriving late – meaning that the defendants are denied time with their lawyers before court. The journey back to Bronzefield can take as long as 5 hours, with the van stopping to collect other prisoners. The defendants can only have their evening meal when they get back to Bronzefield, often as late as 9pm, too late to be allowed to shower.
Sam and Jordan are held at the infamous HMP Belmarsh next door to Woolwich Crown Court and are taken to court each morning via an underground tunnel. Despite being only 200 yards away, both are also woken at 5am. Belmarsh is vile. They have been repeatedly strip-searched, X-rayed more than once a day, and denied vegetarian food, showers and phone calls to loved ones on the outside.
Hope for justice!
Despite all of this, they seem to be keeping their spirits up, and it’s been beautiful to see their brave faces in the dock every day. We hope and pray that as they share their motivation for taking action against Elbit Systems – to stop UK collusion in a genocide against the people of Palestine – the jury will be won over and find them innocent.