Two people who took direct action to dismantle and occupy a weapons company, were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to charges of criminal damage. A third, who had taken part in the action was acquitted at Chester Crown Court. Out of the two imprisoned, Mike Lynch White, a scientist, was sentenced to 27 months. The other, was sentenced to 16 months. Usually, approximately half of a custodial sentence is served in prison.
Mike Lynch White was on remand for three months prior to the sentencing for taking direct action with the climate group Burning Pink, and may face a further custodial sentence for his involvement in the group Heathrow Pause.
The three occupied the APPH site in June 2021 [1], as part of a wider campaign to immobilise Israel’s military supply chain in Britain. this figure was revised down to £225,000 – £345,000. APPH are a supplier of drone landing gear to Elbit Systems, specifically to their Leicester-based subsidiary UAV Tactical Systems, a company known to regularly export drones directly to Israel [2]. APPH supply components – landing gear – to UAV Tactical System’s Watchkeeper drone project [3]. The Watchkeeper is a British drone, deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, based upon Israel’s Hermes, also produced by Elbit [4]. The Hermes is a staple for the Israeli military, advertised as “battle-tested” on the captive population of Gaza.
APPH also produce the landing gear for BAE Systems’ Hawk jet [5], used by Saudi Arabia in their assaults on Yemen, and a number of other fighter jets and military helicopters.
A Palestine Action spokesperson has said:
“The prison sentences demonstrates the state’s desperation to protect Israel’s military supply chain, over the lives of Palestinians and the liberty of activists in Britain. They both took action to disrupt the military industrial complex which profits from the blood shed of the Palestinian people and the apartheid regime they’re subjugated too. For this, they should not be imprisoned.
Despite the continued intimidation attempts to deter actions against Israel’s arms trade, the movement grows day by day.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
If you would like any further information on Palestine action, please contact info@palestineaction.org
Palestine Action is a direct-action network of groups and individuals formed with the mandate of taking action against the sites of Elbit Systems and other companies complicit in Israeli apartheid, calling for all such sites to be shut down.
[1] https://www.newarab.com/news/uk-palestine-action-activists-occupy-elbit-linked-factory
[2] https://caat.org.uk/data/exports-uk/licence-list?index=date®ion=Israel&company=Elbit+Systems
[3] https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/firm-lands-military-contract-2887361
[4] https://waronwant.org/sites/default/files/Killer Drones%2C War on Want.pdf
[5] https://apph.com/landing-gear/