[News] Protesters seize Israel weapons manufacture in UK as bombs rain on Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

middleeastmonitor.com 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210519-protesters-seize-israel-weapons-manufacture-in-uk-as-bombs-rain-on-gaza/> 



  Protesters seize Israel weapons manufacture in UK as bombs rain on Gaza

May 19, 2021
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As Israel continues to bombard Gaza, direct-action protest group, 
Palestine Action, has seized control of one of the buildings belonging 
to Israel's most advanced weapons manufacture, Elbit Systems.

Palestine Action have occupied Elbit's factory, UAV Tactical Systems in 
Leicester and chained the gates shut, disrupting the company's 
production of arms and military technology. Activists have taken direct 
action in response to Elbit's funnelling of arms to the Israeli 
occupation force, which the group said are committing war crimes in Gaza.

This action comes as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza, killing 
over 210, including 61 children, and wounded over 1,500.

"With the IDF targeting civilian areas, healthcare premises and key 
infrastructure, the war crimes being committed rely on technology 
produced at Elbit sites across the UK," said the group.

*READ: Australia military to stop using Israel defence system 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210505-australia-military-to-stop-using-israel-defence-system/>*

Palestine Action seized control of the Leicester factory of Elbit 
subsidiary UAV Tactical Systems earlier today. "Activists scaled the 
roof, locked the factory gates, and are preventing access and stopping 
the production of deadly arms. The occupation aims to be as disruptive 
as possible; these activists are determined to prevent Elbit from 
resuming its business of bloodshed," Palestine Action said.

This is the first time Palestine Action has struck at Elbit's Leicester 
site, which is run by Elbit-Thales joint venture UAV Tactical Systems. 
The company is said to manufacture the Hermes drones used extensively by 
the Israeli army – made in Britain and used in Gaza, Columbia, 
Azerbaijan and elsewhere. The site is also believed to produce the 
Watchkeeper drones employed in droves by the UK Military and Border 
force, having been used to inflict death upon Afghans and Iraqis and 
surveil refugees in the Channel.

"Palestine Action will continue disrupting Elbit's conveyor belt of 
death, preventing any more UK-made weaponry from finding its way into 
the hands of the Israeli military and its brutal police forces, where it 
would be used to commit even more war crimes," the group said in a press 
release.

"By successfully acting to #ShutElbitDown these conscientious actionists 
have shown that the UK's complicity in the ethnic cleansing and murder 
of Palestinian civilians will not stand."

*READ: Gaza suffers $244m in losses due to Israel bombs, report says 
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210519-gaza-suffers-244m-in-losses-due-to-israel-bombs-report-says/>*

Palestine Action has declared that actions will continue to escalate, 
stating: "Today's action shows that it is entirely within our power to 
stop the production of brutal machinery which is fuelling war crimes in 
Palestine. The past week has shown the relentless death and destruction 
that Israeli forces can and will inflict with UK-made munitions and 
military technology. It is the duty of anyone who has been rightly 
appalled by these atrocities to stand up and take action, to prevent the 
Israeli war machine receiving any more armaments produced in this country."

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