Court of Appeal denies bail to Filton 18 activist overturning previous senior judge ruling

London - At a hearing today a judge at the Court of Appeal has denied Kamran Ahmed, one of the Filton 18, bail. He is expected to spend up to 2 years on remand, for allegedly dismantling lethal weapons being used in an active genocide. 

This comes just days after Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb granted Ahmed bail at the Old Bailey on Friday 28 February. Ahmed is a carer for his elderly parents who have been left without his support for over 3 months.

His case relates to a Palestine Action direct action against a facility belonging to Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems, in Filton, Bristol; where quadcopters and drones were destroyed by 6 actionists

The case of the Filton 18 rose to prominence as it represented the first time Palestine Action activists were arrested under terrorism powers for disrupting the supply chain of arms being used in the Gaza genocide.

CAGE International had noted this was an egregious assault on campaigners and marks a significant escalation by the state in defence of Israel. 

Despite their actions not meeting the threshold for terrorism offences, through back door legal provisions, the authorities will seek harsher terror-related sentences against the Filton 18.

In November 2024 four UN Special Rapporteurs and experts wrote to the British Government stating that treating direct action like terrorism  “risks chilling the exercise of freedom of expression and opinion and the right to participate in public life, as well as political and public discourse.” 

They added that the definition of terrorism in UK law was “overbroad” and the use of  “counter-terrorism laws may have been used to circumvent procedural safeguards in relation to detention” of the Filton 18.

Naila Ahmed, Head of Campaigns at CAGE International said:

“We are witnessing courageous activists potentially set to spend years in pre trial detention for acting on our collective obligation to stop the genocide. Whilst weapons manufacturers continue to profit off of death and destruction, those acting against mass killing face the abuse of state power.”

“The FIlton 18 case raises questions concerning foreign state involvement in our judicial system, with Elbit Systems and Israeli representatives meeting with the British government including representatives of the CPS, in order to repress Palestine Action.”

“The infrastructure of authoritarian laws built on demonising Muslims is now at the disposal of a state that’s willing to defend genocide at any cost. The abolition of counter terrorism powers has never been more necessary.”