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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/03/21/palestine-action-elbit-camp/">thecanary.co</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Palestine Action has taken its fight against Elbit to the next level</h1>
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<a href="https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/">The Canary</a> </div>
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<a href="https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/03/21/palestine-action-elbit-camp/">21 March 2024</a>
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<p>On Wednesday 20 March, activists from <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/topics/palestine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Palestine</a>
Action set up camp in front of Elbit’s Bristol headquarters at Aztec
West 600. It comes after the group targeted Somerset Council over its
complicity in Elbit and <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/topics/israel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israel</a>‘s genocide – as it is the former’s landlord.</p>
<h2>Palestine Action: a base of resistance</h2>
<p>Establishing a base of resistance, activists have put up gazebos,
banners, Palestine flags, and scaled up trees overlooking the Israeli
weapons maker:</p>
<img src="cid:ii_lu1mofco1" alt="image11-2-scaled.jpg" width="395" height="263"><br><img src="cid:ii_lu1mopdt2" alt="image05-1-scaled.jpg" width="395" height="263"><br><p></p>
<p>The camp is the latest in a series of actions to kick Elbit out of
Aztec West 600. It’s a premises which is owned by Somerset Council.
Since <a href="https://www.palestineaction.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Palestine Action’s launch in July 2020</a>, activists have broken inside the arms manufacturer, occupied the roof, blockaded the gates, and dismantled the premises.</p>
<p>Simultaneously, residents of Somerset have taken <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2024/02/08/somerset-council-israel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several</a> <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/editorial/2024/03/01/palestine-action-four-actions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actions</a>
to demand Somerset Council terminate Elbit’s lease before they sell the
property. It’s sale which is motivated by financial pressure on the
council. Residents have repeatedly disrupted council meetings in a bid
to make their voices heard and reject their county’s complicity in
genocide.</p>
<p>After requests to evict Elbit were dismissed by councillors, <a href="https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2024/03/19/lib-dem-israel-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">activists covered Somerset County Hall</a> in red paint and spray painted messages such as ‘Elbit out’, ‘Evict Elbit’ and ‘Blood on your hands’:</p>
<img src="cid:ii_lu1mniik0" alt="Lib-Dem-led-Somerset-council-office-sprayed-with-red-paint-and-a-palestinian-flag-with-the-words-elbit-out-and-evict-elbit-with-hand-prints.jpg" width="395" height="296"><br>
<p>The newly established camp will apply further pressure on the council
and reduce the prospect of any future sale without first evicting
Elbit.</p>
<p>Elbit: staggering complicity.</p>
<p>Elbit Systems is Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer, whose UK
division is headquartered at Aztec West 600, with both Elbit Systems UK
and Elbit Systems Ltd (based in Haifa, Israel) listed as named parties
on the lease. Providing 85% of Israel’s military drone fleet and
land-based equipment, as well as bullets, bombs, munitions and other
weaponry, the company is a key pillar of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.</p>
<p>By using Gaza as a laboratory for new weaponry, Elbit can market
their products as “battle-tested” or “combat proven” before selling them
on to global militaries. Both the export and purchase of Elbit’s
weaponry maintains the illegal occupation and subjugation of the
Palestinian people.</p>
<p>Palestine Action vow to continue to take action until Elbit is out of Aztec West 600, and ultimately out of Britain.</p>
<p><em>Featured image and additional images via Palestine Action</em></p>
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