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Palestine Action Declares A Siege On Leicester’s Israeli Arms Factory

February 19, 2023 Palestine Action. , , , ,
From May 1st, Palestine Action will lay siege to Leicester’s Israeli arms factory, UAV Tactical Systems. The mass action will include hundreds staying put for weeks on end, through day and night, refusing to leave until Elbit does. Drawing parallels with the decades-long siege of Gaza [1], Palestine Action’s siege will symbolically turn this process on its head and cut off Leicester’s link to Israel’s military supply chain. The direct action campaign against Elbit to date has forced Israel’s largest arms firm to lose their London Headquarters, Oldham arms factory, and over £280million in contracts with the Ministry of Defence.

More People Are In Court This Week For Taking Direct Action For Palestine

January 12, 2023 Tom Anderson, The Canary. , , ,
Two trials are starting this week, of people who took direct action against Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. Elbit supplies the majority of the drones that the Israeli military use to murder Palestinians. Last year The Canary wrote: Elbit manufactures around 85% of Israel’s drones which have been used to massacre Palestinians in Gaza.For example – during Israel’s 51 day attack on Gaza in 2014 – Israeli drones killed 840 Palestinians. Drones were also used extensively in Israel’s 11 day attack on Gaza in 2021. People have long tried to push the company out of the UK. And, the campaign to shut down Israeli arms companies operating in the UK stepped up after Palestine Action launched in 2020. nit This week the case of two people who blocked the doorway of Elbit’s London office is underway. Their protest was one of a series of disruptive actions that eventually contributed to the closure of Elbit’s London HQ.

2022 Saw Palestine Action’s Rise And Elbit’s Demise

December 31, 2022 Palestine Action. , , , ,
2022 started off with a bang, as January saw the publication of news of Elbit’s permanent closure of their Oldham factory. The victory came after an 18 month direct action battle waged against Elbit’s Ferranti factory in Oldham, which saw 36 arrests and millions of pounds of cumulative damage caused. Despite round-the-clock police patrols and massively heightened security, the efforts of Israel’s largest arms firm to protect their beloved weapons factory failed. The win embodied the power of direct action and community mobilisation – a major validation of Palestine Action’s strategy.  Next up, we took aim at their remaining sites. With momentum ripe following our first long-term victory, people across the country geared up to tear down Elbit factories and premises.

Palestine Action Smash Israeli Arms Firm’s Commercial Lawyers

December 6, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
Palestine Action marked a new target in the campaign to #ShutElbitDown recently, with covert activists targeting MLL Legal – the Swiss law firm responsible for providing commercial law services to Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company. [1] At night, activists descended upon the firm’s London branch, brandishing hammers and paint.[2] The site windows were shattered and the building front drenched in paint, leaving the site inoperable and increasing pressure on the firm to terminate all ties with Elbit. MLL Legal describe Elbit Systems as one of their ‘key clients’ to whom they provide commercial law services (such as contracts and acquisitions), making possible the arms company’s operations. They are one amongst a number of companies who provide a variety of services to Elbit.

Elbit Systems UK Fired From £280 Million Worth Of Defence Contracts

December 1, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
Minister of State for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk has confirmed that Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms company Elbit Systems LTD, has been forced out of lucrative contracts to deliver training for Dreadnought submarine and Royal Navy crews [1, 2]. The Ministry of Defence has ejected Elbit from a contract worth £160m to deliver Dreadnought crew training, and is ‘negotiating the departure’ of Elbit from a £123m contract for ‘Project Selborne’ Royal Navy training, stating that Elbit now falls short of ‘operational sovereignty standards for the UK’s highest priority capabilities’. These submissions were made by Chalk in Parliament in responses to questions by Labour MPs Chris Evans, and Kevan Jones – both associated with the ‘Labour Friends of Israel’ group – and by Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey.

Repression In The Courts Is Failing To Silence Palestine Campaigners

November 23, 2022 Tom Anderson, The Canary. , , , ,
Palestine campaigners have been dragged through the UK courts over the last few months because of their intense direct action campaign against Israeli arms company Elbit Systems. Elbit is Israel’s largest private drone manufacturer, and manufactures the majority of the drones that the Israeli military uses to attack Gaza. It also manufactures small-caliber ammunition for the Israeli army. Campaigners have been have been taking action against Elbit for more than a decade. However, the direct action campaign gathered momentum after the formation of Palestine Action in 2020. Campaigners have vowed to push Elbit out of the UK. This week, three campaigners are standing trial in Southwark Crown Court, for an action in which they drenched the London HQ of Elbit Systems in red paint.

Palestine Action Crashes Gates Of Israeli Arms Factory

October 3, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
This morning, two vans made a morning delivery from Palestine Action to the the gates of the UAV Engines drones factory in Shenstone. One van has crashed into the gate, while the second is blocking it and obstructing entry to the Israeli drone engine factory. Two activists were arrested in the process, while the remaining activists swiftly locked-on to the vans, preventing the vans’ removal and bringing the site to a standstill. The UAV Engines factory is operated by Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms company, as one of the firm’s eight remaining British locations. Police and Elbit Systems’ hired security have acted swiftly, erecting checkpoints around the town of Shenstone and temporarily closing the road leading to the factory.

Activists Unlawfully Arrested In Raids On Palestine Action Camp

September 14, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
Yesterday, 14 activists were unlawfully arrested after manning the Palestine Action Camp for the past two weeks. The activists were arrested under the pretext of “conspiracy to commit criminal damage”, despite no evidence given for these claims. It would appear the arrests were part of an attempt to remove activists, ahead of an event outside the factory that called for mass mobilisation. During the raid, devices were seized, equipment damaged deliberately and packed up by police, who then cordoned the whole camp off, marking it a “crime scene”. Those arrested were released in the early hours of today. Although no crime was committed, bail conditions were given that have left activists unable to attend Elbit sites, unable to be in Shenstone, and told they cannot “directly or indirectly encourage any individuals, groups or organisations to cause any damage to property owned, leased, rented and/or occupied by Elbit Systems, its subsidiaries and/or venture partners”.

Palestine Action’s ‘Elbit Eight’ Prepare For Landmark Court Case

September 8, 2022 Palestine Action. , , , ,
On October 10th, eight Palestine Action activists (including cofounders Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard) dubbed the ‘#ElbitEight’ will be facing trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. The trial is expected to last five weeks and includes charges of burglary, criminal damage and blackmail, pertaining to actions spanning the first six months of Palestine Action. In this timeframe the accused activists helped to spark Palestine Action, the direct action network that has successfully shut down both a factory and headquarters belonging to Israel’s largest arms company, Elbit Systems. Palestine Action have dubbed it their “biggest legal battle to #ShutElbitDown to date, offering up the chance to expose Elbit in the courts and prove that #ElbitIsGuilty”.

Palestine Action Sets Up Camp

August 27, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
Palestine Action have set up camp outside UAV Engines Ltd, the Israeli drones factory that has rightly been a prime target for extensive direct action as part of the #ShutElbitDown campaign. Activists confirm they plan to hold their ground, and will not leave until Elbit have left Shenstone, a sleepy English village near Lichfield. The factory produces engines and other components used to make drones such as the Hermes 450 — these are lethal munitions that have maimed and killed countless Palestinian men, women and children for decades. With activists taking over the space, the site is ours, and you can now join the ground camp in resistance to Israel’s arms industry.

After Israel Invades Nablus, Palestine Action Invades Israeli Drone Factory

July 25, 2022 Days Of Palestine. , , ,
On Saturday night, Israeli military forces raided Nablus, armed with stun grenades and ammunition and killing two Palestinians and injuring 9 others. On Sunday, members of Palestine Action descended upon Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems’ factory in Shenstone, smashing and striking at the site exterior, throwing red paint, a message to the Israeli occupation and those who uphold it – the day has passed where your violence will go unchecked, prepare to be met with resistance every step of the way. Activists took action seeking to dismantle an industry built on occupation, dispossession and warfare across the globe. A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “Elbit drones are made in Britain, tested on Palestine then sold back to the British military, amongst others.

Palestine Action Shuts Israel’s Military Drone Factory

July 4, 2022 Palestine Action. , , ,
Elbit Systems is met with direct action once more, as Palestine Action activists have taken to Elbit Systems’ (Israel’s largest arms factory) factory in Shenstone and closed the site for the third time in two weeks. The Elbit subsidiary operates as UAV Engines LTD. and is responsible for manufacturing Elbit’s military drone engines. Activists have locked on across the factory gates and hurled symbolic blood-red paint onto the premises, leaving the site inoperable. On June 22nd, activists took to the roof of UAV Engines LTD., proclaiming ‘2 down, 8 to go’ – a warning to Israel’s arms manufacturers.

Palestine Action Permanently Shut Down Israeli Arms Firm’s London HQ

June 20, 2022 Palestine Action. , , , ,
Recently, police told Palestine Action activists who were under arrest, that Elbit was abandoning its London Headquarters at 77 Kingsway. Security at the company’s entrance told Samantha Asumadu, a freelance journalist, working for the Big Issue, that Elbit was not at the site and they had never heard of them. The front desk also confirmed that the Israeli arms firm were not there and even denied the company ever was, despite it being well known that Elbit was leasing the sixth floor for many years. A separate security guard confirmed to another source that Elbit had indeed left the building. This makes 77 Kingsway the second Elbit site permanently shut down by Palestine Action, in less than 2 years of sustained direct action. Behind closed doors, war criminals have been facilitating Elbit’s British-based operations — no more!

Palestine Action Return To Shut Down Israeli Arms Firm HQ In London

May 22, 2022 Palestine Action. , , , , ,
Another action has taken 77 Kingsway, the London headquarters of Elbit Systems – Israel’s largest weapons company. Three activists took to the site, two securing themselves to the site entrance with a lock-on, and all three soaking the building in red paint. In doing so, the trio have shut down the site for the day, leaving the company headquarters unable to operate. Today’s action marks the fifth time in just over a month that 77 Kingsway has been targeted by Palestine Action, our activists making clear that war criminals are not welcome in Britain. Alongside recent actions at Elbit’s London headquarters, in the past week, two covert actions targeting JLL (who lease a number of sites, including 77 Kingsway, to Elbit) have been carried out by activists, calling on the real estate company to “Evict Elbit”.

The Nakba Never Ended, And Palestinian Resistance Hasn’t Either

May 16, 2022 Abdul Rahman, People's Dispatch. , , ,
A few days before Palestinians were set to commemorate the 74th anniversary of their forceful displacement from their ancestral lands, known as the Nakba or catastrophe, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a 23-year-old petition by the residents of Masafer Yatta in the occupied southern West Bank and allowed the Israeli military to demolish hundreds of their houses arguing that they are in “firing range”. The incident is part of a systemic policy of the Israeli state to grab more and more Palestinian lands and force the Indigenous Palestinians to live as a refugees in their own country. This everyday Nakba, however, fails to dampen the will of Palestinians to fight for their freedom, land, and right to return.
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