[News] Manchester company forced to close as Palestine Action overwhelm its offices

[Anti-Imperialist News]

thecanary.co
<https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/07/01/palestine-action-manchester-cdw/>
Manchester company forced to close as Palestine Action overwhelm its offices
The Canary
July 1, 2024
------------------------------

Palestine <https://www.thecanary.co/topics/palestine/> Action targeted
another link in Britain’s chain of complicity with Israel’s
<https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/> genocide in Gaza, as the
Manchester offices of ‘CDW UK’ were forced to close by an activist blockade.
Palestine Action: CDW shut down

Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company, are facilitated in their
British presence by support from CDW’s software and technology services.

So, as part of a nationwide campaign against complicity in Israeli
atrocities, on Monday 1 July Palestine Action
<https://www.palestineaction.org/> activists used a vehicle and lock-on
device to blockade the back entrance:

Another one occupied the ledge at the building’s entry:

<https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/signal-2024-07-01-082255_002-scaled.jpeg>

The Manchester building was also sprayed with blood-red paint – to serve as
a reminder to CDW of the Palestinian bloodshed from which their firm
profits:

CDW provide supply chain management, IT solutions, cyber security and
eProcurement services to the British operations of the Elbit brand, part of
the global Israeli arms firm.

CDW are contracted for IT services for ‘Elbit Systems UK Ltd’,
headquartered in Bristol, from which Elbit oversees drone and arms
production nation-wide. This is not the first time the company has been
targeted, with activists spraying a site in Peterborough with red paint and
shattering their windows.

This action in Manchester follows on the heels of others taken to target
Elbit’s partners & suppliers.
Stopping Israel’s supply chain

As the *Canary* previously reported, last week Palestine Action activists
occupied the GRiD Defence Systems
<https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/06/27/palestine-action-high-wycombe/>
site in High Wycombe, barricading themselves inside and proceeding to
destroy hardware and unfurled banners.

This came after activists destroyed dozens of boxes of GRiD processors
found inside Elbit’s Kent factory during an action, the total damage-caused
estimated by police to be worth over £1m.

GRiD manufactures a range of military computers, processors, and similar
electronic equipment, either for direct battlefield use or to be integrated
into other systems.

Since 7 October, Israel has killed over 38,000 Palestinians, injured more
than 86,000, and displaced the majority of people in Gaza. Elbit Systems
supply the majority of Israel’s military drone fleet, land based equipment,
bullets, munitions and missiles.

Their weaponry is often marketed as “battle-tested”, after deployment
against the people of Gaza. The genocide of Gaza would not be possible
without Elbit’s weaponry – and those firms, including CDW and GRiD, are
made complicit by their facilitation of Elbit’s deadly business.

CDW is not the first to be targeted. After similar actions, five other
companies have ended their association with Elbit’s deadly trade in the
past two months. These include Elbit’s weapons transporters Kuehne+Nagel,
recruiters iO associates, property managers Fisher German, website
designers Naked Creativity, and legal firm MLL Legal.

Palestine Action says it will continue to target all those who allow Elbit
to continue their business of genocide, until they declare they’ve cut all
ties.

*Featured image and additional images via Palestine Action*
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