PRESS RELEASE
11/09/22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pictures are free to use, with credit to Martin Pope: bit.ly/UAVSaturdayPhotos
- Yesterday, just hours before a protest at UAV Engines (owned by Elbit Systems), headed by rapper Lowkey, police raided and dismantled the Palestine Action Camp
- 14 activists were arrested during the raid – the stated grounds were “conspiracy to commit criminal damage”, despite no evidence of these claims.
- One person was held for allegedly breaking bail conditions, and will be held until court. Devices were seized, equipment was damaged and the camp was cordoned off as a crime scene
- Despite this, the event went ahead – headed by rapper and activist Lowkey who drew over 150 people outside the Israeli drones factory. The camp outside the factory has held strong – drawing dozens more to join, holding the ground against Israel’s largest arms company
- “Despite the unlawful workings of Staffordshire police and their attempts to lock up resistance to Elbit, we have held our ground – and will come back stronger. We will stay, they will go.”
Yesterday, 14 activists were unlawfully arrested after manning the Palestine Action Camp for the past two weeks. The activists were arrested under the pretext of “conspiracy to commit criminal damage”, despite no evidence given for these claims. It would appear the arrests were part of an attempt to remove activists, ahead of an event outside the factory that called for mass mobilisation. During the raid, devices were seized, equipment damaged deliberately and packed up by police, who then cordoned the whole camp off, marking it a “crime scene”. Those arrested were released in the early hours of today.
Although no crime was committed, bail conditions were given that have left activists unable to attend Elbit sites, unable to be in Shenstone, and told they cannot “directly or indirectly encourage any individuals, groups or organisations to cause any damage to property owned, leased, rented and/or occupied by Elbit Systems, its subsidiaries and/or venture partners”.
Despite police attempts to harass and mislead event organisers, Saturday’s event went ahead as planned. It was headed by British-Iraqi rapper and activist Lowkey, who was met by more than 150 people who were there to stand in opposition to Elbit and the repression seen on Saturday.
Chants of “we will stay, they will go” could be heard from all those who attended, making a promise to stay until Elbit has left Shenstone for good. Supporters and other activists have rushed to build camp outside the factory, filling the gap left by the activists’ arrests.
Elbit System’s supply the Israeli occupation’s military with 85% of its military goods, standing as the majority supplier for Israel’s drone fleet, ‘battle-tested’ in Elbit’s own words, on Palestine’s captive population. Such was the case in August, when 49 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military, many of their deaths a result of drone bombing.
A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “Israel’s largest arms company have done all they can to delay the closure of UAV Engines, employing the help of violent guards and collaborator police. Today’s arrests had no basis, and were done with the clear intention of taking out our activists before the event – yet if they think that’ll stop us, they’re wrong. We began to unmask Elbit’s war crimes two years ago, when we launched Palestine Action – now the cat’s out the bag and the pressure is never going away. Time is up for Elbit Systems and their killer trade.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Pictures are free to use, with credit to Martin Pope: bit.ly/UAVSaturdayPhotos
Beginning of Palestine Action Camp: https://www.palestineaction.org/pal-action-camp/
UAV Engines barricaded by Palestine Action: https://www.palestineaction.org/uav-barricaded/
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 playing 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/