Activists storm Israeli arms company building in Ulm, Germany

Pro-Palestinian activists stormed the offices of the Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems in the German city of Ulm on Monday evening, causing extensive damage, according to Israeli media.

Israel’s public broadcaster reported that members of the group calling itself Palestine Action Germany broke into the Elbit building, damaging company equipment, computers and office furniture.

Founded in 2020 in the United Kingdom, Palestine Action became known for its campaigns against Israeli-owned and linked arms firms following Israel’s assault on Gaza that began on 7 October 2023.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the activists filmed themselves during the break-in, smashing windows, throwing smoke bombs and bags of paint inside the premises, and spraying graffiti with messages about the Gaza war, including the phrase “child killers”.

The activists accuse Elbit Systems of producing “deadly drones” used by Israel in Gaza and have previously called on authorities in Ulm to shut down the branch, as well as all Israeli weapons factories in Germany, the paper added.