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Four activists from Palestine Action were arrested late morning today after they occupied ‘GRiD Defence Systems’, military computer and processor supplier for Israel’s war machine. After breaking into the company premises on Holtspur Lane, High Wycombe, activists barricaded themselves inside, destroyed military hardware and unfurled banners calling out the little-known military electronics firm – which is a key supplier for Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms firm, along with dozens of other companies embedded in the Israeli war machine.
GRiD manufactures a range of military computers, processors, and similar electronic equipment, either for direct battlefield use or to be integrated into other systems. In this month’s raid on Elbit Systems’ ‘Instro Precision’ site in Sandwich, Kent [1], dozens of boxes of GRiD processors were trashed after being found inside. Their discovery confirmed what activists already knew about GRiD’s supplies to those arming Israel’s genocide.
That GRiD would do business with Instro Precision speaks volumes: Instro manufactures weapons sights, target acquisition, and electro-optics systems for the Israeli military, including the targeting systems for troop and vehicle ground operations in Gaza [2]. Their electro-optical equipment is an “important tool in the continuation of apartheid practices in Israel” [3]. While GRiD brags that its products can bypass arms export regulations, by nature of using non-military-specific components [4], Instro has been granted over 50 export licenses for shipment of ‘ML5’ category arms (weapons sights and target acquisition systems) to Israel in just a five-year period [5].
On top of their dealings with Elbit and Instro, GRiD boasts [6] that its clientele includes Lockheed Martin, lead manufacturers of the F-35 fighter jets terrorising Gaza, Leonardo, producers of Israel’s Apache military helicopters, and Israel-supplying missile manufacturer MBDA.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action has stated:
“GRiD is just one of the companies we know to be supplying Elbit. From intel gleaned from actions, to information passed on by whistleblowers – we know who you are, and any firm doing business which enables genocide should not be surprised when they too are shut down.
Palestine Action will continue until every ounce of British complicity in the occupation of Palestine is undone”.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
If you would like any further information on Palestine action or want to interview a spokesperson on this topic, 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 genocide and apartheid, calling for all such sites to be shut down.
[1] https://palestineaction.org/break-in-at-instro-and-blockade-at-scotiabank/
[2] https://corporatewatch.org/whos-arming-israel-mapping-uk-sites-linked-to-israeli-state-terror/
[3] https://impactpolicies.org/news/342/weapons-suppliers-and-the-israeli-state-complicity-in-war-crimes
[4] https://www.griduk.com/military-shipping-and-export-regulations-a-short-introduction/
[5] https://caat.org.uk/data/exports-uk/licence-list?region=Israel&company=Elbit+Systems
[6] https://www.griduk.com/about/our-clients/