A member of the British group Palestine Action told a court on Thursday that he believed it was “reasonable” to strike a police officer with a sledgehammer during a 2024 attack on an Israeli defense firm’s UK factory

Six members of the anti-Israel group are being retried after a jury acquitted them of aggravated burglary earlier this year but wasn’t able to reach verdicts on several key charges, including criminal damage and violent disorder.

One of the defendants, Samuel Corner, 23, was called to testify on Thursday and told the court that he hit the officer with a sledgehammer after hearing “someone screaming” and fearing that one of his fellow activists was being hurt by security personnel.

The officer suffered a fractured spine from the attack and remains on restricted duty.

“It seemed reasonable to do something, and I had to act quickly,” Corner reportedly told the court. He accepted in court that the officer was not injuring anyone and acknowledged in hindsight that his actions were extreme.

Corner said the group’s aim was to “shut Elbit down” by damaging........

© The Times of Israel