One of the four Palestine Action activists jailed this week over a raid on an Israeli arms factory that left a police officer with a fractured spine has been revealed to have a previous career as a signed pop musician, as political figures clashed over whether the sentences amounted to a “dangerous attack on the right to protest.”
Leona Kamio, 30, also known as Ellie, was the singer of synthpop group Sälen before going solo and signing to Island Records UK, a label with a 60-year history behind global stars including Amy Winehouse, Keane, Florence + The Machine, Chappell Roan and Post Malone. Sälen, which also featured Paul Taylor Wade on bass and Simon Milner on keyboard and guitar, released seven singles and one EP, and was named the Guardian’s “New Band of the Week” in 2016 as well as featuring on BBC Introducing. More recently, until her arrest, Kamio had been working as a teacher at a Forest School with children aged between two and four. The school’s headteacher reportedly told a court that Kamio’s job “remains open for her” and that she is “adored by everyone.” Kamio’s mother, Emma, who runs her own homeopathy and pilates business, was also previously arrested and held in police custody for five days following her daughter’s detention, and has spoken out about the conditions she experienced while held.
Kamio was sentenced alongside Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, over the raid on Elbit Systems’ factory near Bristol on 6 August 2024, in which the group used an old prison van to crash through the site’s gates before causing around £1.2 million of damage with sledgehammers and crowbars. Corner, a former Oxford student, was additionally convicted of grievous bodily harm after striking Sergeant Kate Evans twice across the back with a seven-pound sledgehammer while she was on her knees, fracturing her spine. He was jailed for seven years and eight months, while Head and Kamio each received five-year sentences and Rajwani was jailed for four years and eight months.
Mr Justice Johnson ruled that the raid had been carried out “for the purpose of advancing an ideological or political cause” and sentenced all four under terrorism legislation, despite none of them having been convicted of a terror offence. The ruling means the activists will not benefit from standard early-release provisions, will have their risk assessed by the Parole Board before release, and will face counter-terrorism monitoring once free.
The decision has provoked a sharp political row. Green Party leader Zack Polanski wrote on social media: “Gut wrenching to see four young people jailed for direct action against an arms supplier to Israel. Years in prison for protesting to save lives in Gaza, with ‘terrorism’ used despite no jury convicting them of it. A truly dangerous attack on the right to protest.” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch responded directly: “These thugs fractured the spine of Sgt Kate Evans, who spoke in court of the medical and emotional trauma she still lives with. Prison is where they belong. Unlike Zack Polanski, I want serious consequences for anyone who attacks police officers risking their lives to protect us.” Polanski hit back, saying: “I’d never condone violence against a police officer — this is utterly dishonest. The jury weren’t judging them on a terrorism offence. This is an awful sleight of hand. The creeping encroachment of terror laws onto protest and removal of our juries should worry all of us.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn echoed Polanski’s concerns, writing: “Sentenced and imprisoned on grounds of ‘terrorism’ that no jury ever convicted them of. Meanwhile, the British government continues to aid and abet the greatest crime of our time. A historic miscarriage of justice — and a truly dark day for civil liberties in this country.” Labour’s John McDonnell added: “Scale of sentences on the 4 young people who took direct action against the arms supplier to Israel is truly shocking. To impose years of imprisonment for protesting to save lives in Gaza is unjust, especially sentencing on terrorist grounds they were never convicted of by a jury.”
According to ITV News, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC described the raid as “meticulously organised,” with the group dressed in red jumpsuits before clashing with security guards and police, during which Corner struck Evans with the sledgehammer. The convictions followed an earlier trial in which the same four defendants, along with two others, were acquitted of aggravated burglary, though jurors could not reach verdicts on the criminal damage charges that led to Friday’s sentencing.
Responding to the sentences, a spokesperson for the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, representing Sergeant Evans and her colleagues, said: “The distressing scenes we have seen during this trial show some of the worst side of police work that our officers are faced with. Samuel Corner is a violent criminal — and his actions have had devastating consequences for a courageous and dedicated police officer. The sentence given to the perpetrator today is a semblance of justice. Our colleague Sgt Kate Evans will have life-lasting effects from this despicable attack. Fracturing a brave police officer’s spine with a sledgehammer is not protesting a cause — it’s pure evil.”
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government last July, making public expressions of support for the group a criminal offence. The High Court later ruled that decision unlawful, with the Court of Appeal expected to rule on Monday whether that judgment will be upheld. Following Friday’s sentencing, around 500 Palestine Action supporters gathered outside Woolwich Crown Court, with more than 100 arrested for expressing support for the proscribed group.
