Charlotte Head, who is accused of taking part in a break-in at Israeli defence firm, is called a ‘remarkable woman’ by her barrister
A Palestine Action activist accused of taking part in a break-in at an Israeli defence firm’s UK site is a “remarkable woman”, her barrister has told jurors as he likened her to the suffragettes.
Charlotte Head, 29, is on trial at Woolwich crown court, south-east London, accused of being involved in a “meticulously organised” protest at the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024.
Head, together with Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin, is accused of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder. Corner is also charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer, Kate Evans. They deny the charges.
On Thursday in closing submissions, Head’s barrister, Rajiv Menon KC, detailed his client’s years of activism, including her work with refugees in Calais. He said the suffragettes were celebrated publicly for their heroism but in their time were accused of being “a threat to the social order” and “unladylike, feral, aggressive, violent” by MPs and in the mainstream press.
