Newcastle Gaza protesters found guilty of factory damage
BBC World
March 4, 2026
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Two women protesters from Newcastle have been found guilty of causing criminal damage at a factory they believed was linked to Israel's actions in Gaza. The case, which took place at Pearson Engineering in February 2025, involved the protesters—Hollie Mildenhall, Georgia Coote, and Summer Oxlade—smashing a sign, spraying red paint, and blocking the entrance of the factory, which is owned by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, an Israeli-state-owned company. The women argued that their actions were lawful and necessary to prevent weapons from being sent to Gaza, where they claimed lives would be at risk. However, jurors ruled their actions as unlawful, emphasizing that they had "taken the law into their own hands" instead of pursuing legal avenues.
The protesters, who included two women in their 20s and a woman in her late 20s, held an eight-hour stand-off on the factory's roof and tipped rubble onto the site. They claimed their actions were driven by compassion for those affected by Israel's policies in Gaza, believing the factory was complicit in war crimes through its production of military equipment. Despite their efforts to raise awareness through petitions and lawful protests, they turned to more extreme measures when these attempts failed.
The court heard that Pearson Engineering denied exporting weapons to Israel and stated that its products were used for
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Originally published on BBC World on 3/4/2026