‘This is political': Mother of British pro-Palestine activist slams pre-trial detention

Claire Hinchliffe originally thought her daughter was just attending a weekend protest with friends. However, she learned that her daughter had been detained by the police when four officers knocked on her door with a search warrant. This sudden news shocked and worried Hinchliffe.

Zoe Rogers, 21, was arrested in early August for participating in a direct action at an Israeli military factory in Bristol. Rogers and five other members of "Palestine Action" drove a modified prison van into the Elbit Systems factory in the Filton area of Bristol. The incident sparked widespread attention.

Videos released by the group showed protesters spraying red paint inside the factory and using sledgehammers to damage equipment. Elbit Systems is Israel's largest weapons manufacturer, and its operations in the UK have been repeatedly attacked by "Palestine Action" members since 1966. Elbit Systems provides the Israeli military with 85% of its drones and land-based equipment.

Hinchliffe told Middle East Eye earlier this week that Rogers was re-arrested that night on terrorism charges and held in solitary confinement for six days, interrogated daily, and deprived of phone calls for two weeks. A UN rapporteur stated in a follow-up report that such detention "may constitute enforced disappearance."

Initially, the six protesters were detained at a police station in Bristol for 24 hours under the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and their detention was then extended by 12 hours under the same act. When the detention warrant expired, the protesters were arrested on suspicion of violating the 2006 Terrorism Act—preparing to commit terrorist acts or assisting in the commission of terrorist acts—thereby allowing their detention to be extended for another week.

"We need to wake up to what is happening here. This is not just about Palestine, it's about everyone's right to express dissent," said Claire Hinchliffe. After not being able to contact her daughter for two weeks, Hinchliffe said she next saw her daughter in court. There, she and several other protesters involved in the action at the Israeli Elbit Systems factory (known as the "Filton 18") were denied bail.

Although the terrorism-related charges have been dropped, the judge denied the group bail on the grounds that they may still be linked to terrorism. The group has been detained since then and is not expected to be tried until November 2025—15 months after their initial arrest. The pre-trial detention limit in the UK is six months. The prolonged detention of the "Filton 18" has sparked protests across the UK, including a recent demonstration in which a man climbed Big Ben and unfurled a Palestinian flag, calling for the group's release.

For Hinchliffe, the campaign to free her daughter has evolved into a larger struggle for justice and civil liberties nationwide. She explained that the allegations of potential terrorist links "changed everything," transferring the group's case from regular police to counter-terrorism police with a broader scope of power. "You see counter-terrorism police rounding up people across the country... up to 30 police officers breaking down doors, breaking windows, handcuffing family members and children while violently arresting their loved ones. It's insane."

Once detained, they were treated as "high security prisoners" and deprived of the right to communicate with each other under non-association orders, leading to what UN rapporteurs called "a significant deterioration in their mental health." Hinchliffe emphasized that the harsh treatment they received under counter-terrorism powers was disproportionate to the actual charges the group faced. She cited a UN statement saying that the group's actions "appear to be in the nature of ordinary criminal offences and do not appear to amount to 'terrorism' in any genuine sense under international standards."

The UK's definition of terrorism exceeding international standards is nothing new. The country first questioned its definition when it launched its counter-terrorism strategy called "Contest" in 2003. But Hinchliffe believes that the current use of counter-terrorism powers is specifically targeting the pro-Palestinian movement, and she referred to previous meetings between former Home Secretary Patel, the Israeli Ambassador to the UK, and the UK CEO of Elbit Systems, at which Patel pledged to crack down on protesters targeting Israeli military factories.

Hinchliffe said the broad scope of the UK's terrorism definition makes this possible. "So they can take something like property damage (which is what Palestine Action does) and call it terrorism, or say it is linked to terrorism. This is deeply concerning." In response to questions from UN experts about reforming counter-terrorism laws, a government spokesperson said: "The UK has a comprehensive counter-terrorism legislative framework that strikes an appropriate balance between protecting national security and individual liberties." They added: "However... the rights to freedom of expression and protest are not absolute."

Hinchliffe also referred to the Volney Report released in May 2024, which recommended tougher measures against Palestine Action and other pro-Palestinian groups. Lord Volney served as Chairman of Labour Friends of Israel from 2011 to 2013. "(He said) you can't ban them because they're not terrorists, but you can treat them like terrorists. This new government has fully implemented this advice."

She said the ultimate goal is to send a message. "The key is: don't interfere with how our country arms Israel politically," Hinchliffe said. But she doesn't think this new approach will stop at pro-Palestinian protesters. "This is a real turning point in our history. We need to wake up to what is happening here. This is not just about Palestine, it's about everyone's right to express dissent, otherwise we will wake up in a country where you go to jail if you disagree with the government."

Hinchliffe's activism has completely changed her life—but it has come at a cost. While the disruption of Rogers' future has had a lasting impact on their family, Hinchliffe believes she is fighting for more than just her daughter's freedom. "But if that's the price, you know, the pain I'm going through, the sadness, the separation from her, the anxiety for her... if that's what it takes to stop a genocide, then I'm in. I'm with her."

Rogers has been forced to defer her university enrollment, and with the outcome of the November trial still uncertain, she is unsure if she will be able to enroll. But Hinchliffe said that regardless of the outcome, her daughter "feels free inside." "I am deeply inspired by her, you know, she has changed my life. Her cause has become my cause."

Since Israel declared war on Gaza, Palestine Action has attacked various Elbit locations in the UK, including factories in Leicester, Oldham and Shenstone, as well as the company's headquarters in London. The group uses direct action tactics to disrupt operations and raise awareness of Elbit's role in supplying weapons to Israel. Typical protests include occupying factory roofs, smashing windows, spraying red paint symbolizing blood, and shutting down equipment to disrupt the production of military technology.

Rogers and the "Filton 18" are scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on March 27. Hinchliffe feels anxious and uncertain—but above all, she is busy calling on pro-Palestinian demonstrators to show up in support.