[News] Palestine Action just showed when it IS right to smash corporate stuff up

[Anti-Imperialist News]

thecanary.co
<https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/08/05/palestine-action-barclays-burnley/>
Palestine Action just showed when it IS right to smash corporate stuff up
The Canary
August 5, 2024
------------------------------

Palestine Action <https://www.thecanary.co/?s=Palestine+Action> has
targeted a branch of Barclays over the bank’s complicity in Israel’s
<https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/> ongoing genocide in Gaza –
showing when it is appropriate to smash corporate-owned stuff up.
Palestine Action: back to Barclays it goes

Several activists from Palestine Action <https://www.palestineaction.org/>
targeted a Barclays branch in Burnley on Monday 5 August, over the banks
shareholdings in Israel’s biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems:

<https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Photo-05-08-2024-06-26-59-scaled.jpg>

The group had smashed windows and covered the premises in red paint,
symbolising the bank’s complicity in the Gaza genocide:

[image: Palestine Action Barclays]
<https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Photo-05-08-2024-06-30-11-scaled.jpg>

It came after more action from the group last week.

As the *Canary* previously reported, on Wednesday 31 July, Palestine Action
<https://www.palestineaction.org/> celebrated its birthday by forcing
Elbit’s UAV Engines factory in Shenstone to close down. Not to be
discouraged by cops arresting those actionists, another group from Palestine
<https://www.thecanary.co/topics/palestine/> Action arrived at the site on
Thursday 1 August to shut the factory down for a second day in a row. This
time, a caravan was part of the blockade.
Elbit and Barclays: peas in a genocidal pod

Elbit Systems provide 85% of Israel’s military drone fleet and land based
equipment, as well as missiles, ammunition and digital warfare. In response
to the ongoing Gaza genocide, Elbit’s CEO Bezhalel Machlis says the weapons
maker has “ramped up production”.

Last week, Elbit was rewarded a contract to supply thousands of artillery
shells to the Israeli military, who have killed or injured over 130,000
Palestinians since October 8th.

Palestine Action has repeatedly targeted Barclays over their complicity in
genocide, demanding they divest from Elbit. This culminated in over 20
branches being hit by in a single night in June. This included the Bradford
and Bolton branches on 3 June, where activists left windows smashed and
sprayed the banks red.

Barclays Bank holds over £1bn in shares and provides over £3bn in loans and
underwriting to nine companies whose weapons, components, and military
technology are being used by Israel in its genocidal attacks on
Palestinians.

Amongst Barclays £3bn investments and loans in companies facilitating the
Gaza genocide, the bank holds shares in Elbit Systems

A Palestine Action spokesperson said:

Palestine Action will continue to make investing in Israel’s biggest
weapons producer an unattractive investment. As Barclays reduce Palestinian
lives to profits on their balance sheet, it’s important they understand the
cost associated with funding genocide.

*Featured image and additional images via Neil Terry*
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