Israel arms manufacturer targeted by Palestine activists in UK

Palestine Action activists, a direct action group opposed to Israel’s brutal occupation, are occupying an Israeli arms company factory in the northwestern UK village of Shenstone.

Activists covered the front of the Elbit-owned factory in red paint, in an attempt to symbolise its role in spilling Palestinian blood, with banners calling on all Elbit Systems sites in the UK to be shut down.

The Israeli arms manufacturer has ten bases across Britain, including four arms factories which produce parts for drones used in Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine.

Elbit has been targeted for direct action several times by groups around Britain after its boasts at arms fairs that its weapons are “battle-tested”. Thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women and children have been killed in Israel’s military offensives.

READ: Palestine rights activists arrested protesting against Israel arms trade

In a statement, Palestine Action said: “The UK government has been complicit in the colonisation of Palestine for over 100 years. Now they continue to profit from, sustain and facilitate Israel’s apartheid regime.”

“While our government continues to turn a blind eye to Elbit Systems continuing to arm Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people, we too will continue to disrupt and take direct action for the sake of human rights, justice and freedom. We call on all those who stand against racism and for humanity to take action, join us and shut Elbit down for good.”

Last month, the group targeted Elbit Systems HQ office in central London, as well as their landlord’s HQ offices, LaSalle Asset Management in Mayfair.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private arms company, marketing their weapons as “field tested”.

Campaigners say Elbit supplied 85 per cent of the drones used in the invasion of Gaza in 2014, where over 2,200 Palestinians, including 500 children, were killed in only 50 days.