PRESS RELEASE
22/06/22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- Palestine Action activists are currently occupying the roof of the UAV Engines factory in Shenstone, just days after it was confirmed that the group’s sustained direct action forced Elbit Systems to abandon its London HQ.
- Since 3.30am this morning, activists have been dismantling the premises, including taking apart the roof and factory walls, covering the factory interior in paint and forcing operations to halt.
- The site has been a target of the group since its formation in July 2020, with activists taking aim at the manufacture of parts for Elbit’s drone products, used in both Israeli and British military operations. Previous actions have disrupted UAV Engines for weeks on end, having forced the factory to close for extensive repairs.
- Palestine Action: ‘These activists will keep working until the Shenstone site, like all other Elbit sites, is forced to shut down for good – two down, eight to go.’
At 3.30AM, Palestine Action scaled the Elbit System’s subsidiary, UAV Engines Ltd, in Shenstone, Staffordshire today. The activists hit the site with a rooftop occupation, stopping site operations – from then they have began dismantling the site; breaking apart the factory roof and walls, smashing the premises and equipment – including windows and air conditioning units – and throwing flares and red paint inside and over the factory. Action was taken in order to shut down a key part of Elbit’s chain of production for death-dealing drones in Israel.
This occupation comes just days after Palestine Action forced Elbit Systems out of their London Headquarters – with it confirmed that the Israeli arms manufacturer has left the 77 Kingsway site following almost weekly lock-ons, actions, protests and further disruption taken to their criminal business. The abandonment of the London HQ marks the second Elbit site forced to close in just 5 months, after they were forced out of their Oldham arms factory in January, selling at a significant loss after Palestine Action made continued operations impossible.
UAV Engines Ltd, a key subsidiary of Elbit Systems, manufacture engines and parts for their drones, including the Hermes, which Elbit themselves describe as the ‘backbone’ of Israel’s drone fleet. Drones have been a large part of Israel’s campaign of terror on Palestine, and their products have been used extensively in assaults such as last year’s May bombings, and the 2014 Gaza War. During last year’s bombings, members of Israel’s military openly admitted to consistent cooperation and consultation with Elbit during this period, while Elbit remains is Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer, supplying 85% of the drones in Israel’s drone fleet. UAV Engines also produces for Elbit’s Watchkeeper drones, which are sold to the British military and border forces to surveil migrants and conduct imperialist military interventions abroad. The Shenstone site has been a target of Palestine Action since the group launched in July 2020.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action said: “Elbit’s Shenstone site is used for the manufacture of drones which, after being ‘battle-tested’ on Palestinians, are re-packaged, re-branded and sold for popular repression across the globe – including by the British police, military, and border forces. Palestine Action occupy and shut down these sites to disrupt the war crimes supply chain of drones and drone parts, undermine the profitability of Elbit’s business-of-bloodshed, and end the operations of Elbit in the UK. These activists will keep working until the Shenstone site, like all other Elbit sites, is forced to shut down for good – two down, eight to go.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Pictures are free to use, with credit to be given to VX Pictures.
Elbit forced to close its London HQ: https://mondoweiss.net/2022/06/israeli-weapons-maker-shuts-london-hq-following-sustained-protest/
Elbit closes Oldham factory in January: https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/uk-admits-activists-forced-elbit-sell-factory
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 direct action against Elbit Systems’ British locations at grassroots level, calling for them all to be shut down and for the British government to end its complicity in Israeli apartheid.
ELBIT SYTEMS
Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest arms firm, with 8 remaining sites in Britain. They build weapons include drones, artillery and target acquisition software in Britain. All of which are marketed as “battle-tested” or “combat-proven”, as they’ve been tested on the captive population of Gaza.
Company profile on Elbit Systems: https://whoprofits.org/company/elbit-systems/
Role of Elbit drone in killing of four children paying on Gaza beach in 2014: https://theintercept.com/2018/08/11/israel-palestine-drone-strike-operation-protective-edge/
More on the death and destruction inflicted by Elbit’s drones upon Gaza: https://corporatewatch.org/elbit-systems-company-profile-2/
Elbit surveillance technology for Israel’s apartheid wall: https://www.facing-finance.org/en/database/cases/elbit-systems-surveillance-system-torch-for-the-separation-barrier-in-israelpalestine/