Emotional scenes as Filton 24 granted bail while Lambeth activists stage political spoof

Family members and supporters embraced and cheered outside the Old Bailey as 23 of the 24 activists known as the Filton 24, were granted bail, ending up to 18 months …

Feb 20, 2026 - 19:03

Emotional scenes as Filton 24 granted bail while Lambeth activists stage political spoof

Family members and supporters embraced and cheered outside the Old Bailey as 23 of the 24 activists known as the Filton 24, were granted bail, ending up to 18 months of pre-trial detention for most of the group. The decision followed a hearing today, Friday 20 February, with only one defendant remaining in custody.

The activists were arrested in August 2024 after targeting an Elbit Systems facility in Filton, Bristol, causing significant damage. Prosecutors initially brought aggravated burglary charges, the most serious count, carrying a potential life sentence, but earlier this month a jury acquitted six defendants after an 11-week trial.

*[Raye whose loved-one Amu Gib (30) has been encarcerated in HMP Bronzefield since July 2025]*

“They are vindicated, this is the right thing to happen, it’s overwhelming, the crowd is overwhleming, we’re all here for the liberation of Palestine. They’re not guilty of anything, its Israel who are guilty of a genocide, Elbit Systems are the gulity ones. We are just so happy today, it’s beautiful” – Raye, loved one of Amu Gib

The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently confirmed it would not pursue that charge against the remaining defendants, leaving outstanding counts including criminal damage and violent disorder, with a retrial provisionally listed for February 2027.

*[Suhaib Farooque whose daughter Zahra (25) told the Brixton Buzz she was 24 when she was arrested and the family had waited for this day, for justice, for15 months]*

Although none of the defendants faced terrorism charges, their case sits within the wider dispute over the government’s proscription of Palestine Action, the direct-action network behind the Filton break-in. last week, on 13 February, the High Court ruled that the decision to designate the group under the Terrorism Act was unlawful and disproportionate. The government has since confirmed it will appeal, meaning the ban remains in force for now.

*[Spoof BBC interview with Lambeth Labour’s Claire Holland who sanctioned several sitting councillors, including Streatham’s Martin Abrams for supporting a ceasefire vote]*

Against that legal backdrop, Lambeth pro-Palestinian groups staged a spoof political protest outside court, wearing cardboard masks of senior politicians including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Lambeth Council leader Claire Holland, and holding placards reading ‘I support genocide, I oppose Palestine Action’ a satirical reversal of the well known protest placard that has seen over 2700 people arrested since the proscription of the group in July 2025.