Zoe Rogers (22) was about to start university in London when she took action against Elbit in Filton. In a character reference, her mother said Zoe is a ‘voracious reader‘ and ‘her defining characteristic is her passion for social justice‘.
After October 2023, Zoe went on pro-Palestine marches, wrote to her MP asking the government to stop arming Israel, and designed stickers with a QR code to raise awareness. Nothing worked. Then she learnt that direct action is highly effective. She put ‘Palestine’ and ‘direct action’ into a search engine. That was how she discovered Palestine Action.
She told the jury about Elbit’s Thor VTOL drones, designed to carry and drop deadly grenades. And the drones Elbit makes for surveillance, using AI to identify human targets. She used a sledgehammer to smash them. She said she only had enough strength to lift the hammer and let it drop on the weapons
She found Elbit security guard Volante terrifying – unpredictable and crazy. Her barrister showed a still from the CCTV. He’s sticking his tongue all the way out and staring at Zoe & Jordan, holding a sledgehammer. It’s such a shocking image, many people in court laughed out loud
Zoe also quoted from the poem she wrote in prison:
Finally, asked why she took action against Elbit, she said: