Nine activists from the protest organization Palestine Action appeared in court to deny charges of burglary, criminal damage, violent disorder, and hitting a police officer with a sledgehammer. They are accused of smashing their way into a warehouse linked to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems UK. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include causing an estimated 1 million pounds in criminal damage. The first trial involving eight of the defendants is scheduled to start in November, with the others appearing at subsequent trials. Pro-Palestinian protesters have targeted Elbit Systems UK and other defense firms in Britain linked to Israel in the wake of the conflict in Gaza.