[News] We Shut Down the London HQ of Israel’s Largest Arms Firm AGAIN

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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palestineaction.org <https://www.palestineaction.org/london-hq-youth/>


  Activists Shut Down London HQ of Israel's Largest Arms Firm

April 20, 2022
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*PRESS RELEASE
20/04/22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

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  * Activists from XR Youth, taking action under the Palestine Action
    banner, have shut down the London headquarters of Israel’s largest
    arms firm: Elbit Systems
  * The activists have used fire extinguishers to spray the premises in
    blood-red paint, and are locked-on to the entrance, preventing
    access or operations at the building
  * Action taken in solidarity with the victims of Israeli brutality in
    Occupied Palestine, with the past week having seen Elbit products
    used against worshippers and civilians
  *

Today, several members of XR Youth collaborating with Palestine Action, 
shut down the London headquarters of Elbit Systems, at 77 Kingsway, 
Holborn. Activists have sprayed the site in blood-red paint, symbolising 
the bloodshed facilitated with Elbit-manufactured weaponry, and have 
locked-on to the entrance of the building, forcing its closure for the 
day. This action has been taken to show solidarity with the people of 
Palestine, who during Ramadan and Passover, have been crushed by renewed 
onslaughts of violence by Israel — violence which has escalated even 
since last May’s attacks on the Al-Aqsa mosque and other sites of 
Palestinian cultural importance and public life.


This past Saturday and Sunday, heavily armed Israeli police officers 
began a brutal attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque, breaking windows, throwing 
grenades, and deploying tear gas, which were used on peaceful worshipers 
who had come to the mosque to mark the holy month of Ramadan. Video of 
officers beating children and targeting families have been widely 
circulated on social media. It is also alleged that officers locked 
worshipers inside the mosque. Meanwhile, within the last 24 hours, 
Israel has been bombarding the Gaza strip and its captive population of 
Palestinian civilians.


The people of the UK, and notably its young people, are therefore taking 
action to hit the Israeli arms industry and its flagship company Elbit 
Systems where it hurts. Elbit Systems, Palestine Action’s primary 
target, are a weapons manufacturer with 9 sites in the UK. Their 
products are instrumental to the escalation and growing fatalities of a 
number of international conflicts. Crucially, they have been incredibly 
successful by marketing their weapons products as “battle-tested”. In 
their marketing, they omit the fact that their weapons are “tested” on 
Palestininan civilians before ever being sold commercially — civilians 
who are used as cannon-fodder so that Elbit can corner the market. 
Through its subsidiary IMI Systems, Elbit manufacture the vast majority 
of small arms and munitions, including baton rounds, used by Israeli 
forces in attacks such as those seen this week. The Israeli-owned firm 
also supply the Israeli military with 85% of its drones, including the 
/Hermes/, directly facilitating the constant bombardment of Palestinians.


This is just the latest in a sweep of actions undertaken by Palestine 
Actionists. Just 5 days ago, the group shut down Leicester’s UAV 
Tactical Systems, a subsidiary of Elbit’s, where actionists have 
confirmed sightings of /Hermes /drones in stages of manufacture. 
Palestine Action believes that Elbit has no right to manufacture its 
weapons of mass murder in the UK, nor the right to sell them in the 
wider world. Palestine Action’s mandate — and that of the young people 
who have acted today — is to keep resisting and taking direct action 
until Elbit Systems has been shut down.

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*ENDS*

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*NOTES TO EDITORS*

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Please Credit Attached Photos to Calum Ford (Free to use)

If you would like any further information on Palestine action, please 
contact info at palestineaction.org

Palestine Action is a direct-action network of groups and individuals 
formed with the mandate of taking direct action against Elbit Systems’ 
UK locations at grassroots level, calling for them all to be shut down 
and for the British government to end its complicity in Israeli apartheid.


*ELBIT SYSTEMS/SOURCES*

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*

Detail on Al-Aqsa mosque attacks: Israel storms Al-Aqsa, beats 
Palestinian worshipers to make way for Jewish settlers – Mondoweiss 
<https://mondoweiss.net/2022/04/israel-storms-al-aqsa-beats-palestinian-worshipers-to-make-way-for-jewish-settlers/>

Bombardment of Gaza: Israel strikes Gaza Strip in response to 
Palestinian rocket as tensions soar in Jerusalem – CBS News 
<https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gaza-strip-israel-air-strikes-palestinian-rocket/>

Company profile on Elbit Systems, including quote by Israeli military 
general: https://whoprofits.org/company/elbit-systems/

More on the death and destruction inflicted by Elbit’s drones upon Gaza: 
https://corporatewatch.org/elbit-systems-company-profile-2/

Elbit surveillance technology for Israel’s apartheid wall: 
https://www.facing-finance.org/en/database/cases/elbit-systems-surveillance-system-torch-for-the-separation-barrier-in-israelpalestine/





Press Release 
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