Images are available for free here
Hours the UK government’s ‘Security and Policing’ fair was scheduled to begin, Palestine Action targeted the organisers of the arms fair – ADS group [1]. Activists covered the London offices of ADS group in red paint, symbolising their complicity in Palestinian bloodshed.
The ‘Security & Policing’ arms fair is a Home Office event, which brings together arms companies, cops, spies, border guards and delegations from other countries – including Israel [2]. Participants of the event include Israel’s Elbit Systems, BAE Systems and L-3 Harris — all of whom are known suppliers for the Israeli military [3] [4] [5].
Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest arms firm, whose supply of weapons has been described as “crucial” to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. They supply 85% of Israel’s military drone fleet and land-based equipment, as well as tanks, bullets, bombs and missiles [6].
ADS group, organisers of the event, act as representatives and advocates for the world’s largest arms companies. The Group offer arms companies exclusive access to arms fairs to gain market and stakeholder access – for the purposes of weapons sales – along with business and network support and government lobbying and access to politicians [7]. Their events have been attended by scores of MPs [8], with ADS themselves undertaking lobbying and influencing on behalf of their weapons trade members.
Since October 7th, Israel has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, injured over 72,000 and displaced the vast majority of the Gazan population [9].
This action has taken place prior to a planned protest by Netpol at the Home Office from 6PM today [10].
A Palestine Action spokesperson said:
“Collaborating with Israel and their weapons trade demonstrates our government’s ongoing complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Palestine Action will take necessary measures to intervene, disrupt and expose those who are gathering in order to profit from Palestinian deaths.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
If you would like any further information on Palestine action, please contact media@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.securityandpolicing.co.uk/about/ads-dods/
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/security-and-policing-2024
[3] https://www.securityandpolicing.co.uk/exhibitors/exhibitors-list-2024/elbit-systems-uk/
[5] https://www.securityandpolicing.co.uk/exhibitors/exhibitors-list-2024/l3-harris/
[6] https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3794
[7] https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/membership/ads-member-services/
[8] https://bylinetimes.com/2020/02/10/the-london-dinner-oiling-the-wheels-of-the-global-arms-trade/