TALKS & TRAININGS

You can also join a local group where you can meet, distribute flyers, and work together to plan your part in the siege against Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory. For local group contact details see below: 

Bristol

Email: BristolPalAction@protonmail.com

Birmingham

Email: BirminghamPalAction@proton.me

Cambridge

Email: CambridgePalAct@protonmail.com

Leeds

Email: LeedsPalAct@proton.me

Leicester

Email: leicesterpalaction@proton.me 

Liverpool

Email: liverpoolpalact@protonmail.com

Manchester

Email: manchesterpalestineaction@proton.me 

Sheffield

Email: SheffieldPalAct@protonmail.com

Stroud

Email: PalActionStroud@protonmail.com

Don’t have time to join a local group or just want to turn up with your own affinity group? Well, you’re more than welcome to do that! Details of our guidelines and action agreement will be posted shortly with more details.

For information on in person workshops and talks, check out palestineaction.org/siege/#talks

We are also holding online workshops on Elbit and your legal rights. They’re held every Wednesday 7pm at Sunday 3PM on zoom, you can register at bit.ly/ShutElbitDown

You can stay for however long you can contribute towards holding the siege. We encourage people to stay more than one day, some may stay for a week, others weeks, and some for a few days. There will be options to camp on site, but if you would struggle to camp there is some limited options for accommodation in the area. If you would need accommodation, please email leicesterpalaction@proton.me  

We advise bringing the following items, especially if you are planning to stay overnight:

Roll mat

Sleeping bag

Warm clothing including warm waterproof coat

Layers of warm clothes

Thermals

Thermal socks

Hand gloves

Head torch (spare batteries)

Power pack and cables

Umbrella

Toiletries and small towel

Wet wipes

Sanitary items

Mini first aid kit and any medication

Toilet roll

Bin bags

Bottle or thermal mug

Bowl and cutlery

Sun cream and sun hat (in case we get lucky)

Books/playing cards/etc

Your own homemade signs and Palestine flags

Snacks (food will be provided but extra snacks is recommended)

A backpack/holdall

Face covering optional (balaclava, face mask, )

If you don’t have any of the above items, please reach out to …. – no one needs to be excluded due to not having the right items!

*No alcohol or drugs

Extras

Gazebos

Food to share

General camping equipment [cooking facilities etc]

Banners and placards

Camping/foldable chairs

PA System

Drums/ musical instruments

Anything else you think might come in use!

Everyone is free to make their own choice and face coverings are optional. If you do choose to wear one, to evade unwanted police attention, you could wear a balaclava, keffiyeh, a face mask etc. 

Every single person who attends will be contributing towards holding the siege. We have strength in numbers! Our objective is to hold a siege for as long as it takes for Elbit to close down its weapons factory in Leicester. Activities will involve people holding the fort by simply sitting down and refusing to leave the site.  

There will also be Palestinian dabke, workshops, music, food, talks and other events to keep you occupied whilst occupying Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory!

Getting arrested isn’t a requirement of joining the siege, however we can not account for every possibility of how the police may react to people opposing Israel’s arms trade. Although Elbit are the criminals, who profit from the destruction of Palestine, the British state often seek to protect its arms production.

You do not have to put yourself in a position where you will get arrested in order to join the siege. By sheer mass of numbers, we will be a powerful force against Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory. However, if you do refuse to leave the site and are in a position where you could be seen as obstructing the factory from opening, and you do not leave when you are cautioned, then you may be arrested. 

If you are arrested in the road, it’s possible you would be arrested under “obstruction of the highway”. If you are arrested on land belonging to Elbit, it could be “aggravated trespass”. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list and we recommend you join a workshop before attending the siege: bit.ly/ShutElbitDown. We will also be running workshops on the ground in real time and will take into account the legal situation as it develops. We also have a brilliant legal team who can be contacted if you do find yourself arrested by the police. 

Raj Chada, Hodge Jones & Allen: 0808 273 9624

We recommend writing the name and number of the lawyer on you in case of arrest. We will be distributing this information on cards at the scene as well. 

The short and straight forward answer to this question is NO. The police work alongside Elbit Systems and their priority is to protect Israel’s arms industry. Police officers may try and appear to be friendly – this is a tactic to gather intelligence about you and the people around you. No matter how experienced you are in protest/ direct action situations, we firmly state that no one who joins the siege should talk to the police, security, or any other state official. This is to keep us all safe. 

Beyond preparing yourself, your kit and transport, attending a workshop, there are numerous activities you can do to help build the siege beforehand. This includes postering your town/village/city, flyering in your local area, dropping banners and ad-hacking bus stop posters. 

If you would like to order posters, flyers and stickers, you can do so here: bit.ly/OrderSiegeResources

You can also join your local group, the contact details of which are:

If there is no local group in your area, contact us about holding a workshop in your local area or for your affinity group at info@palestineaction.org

Any donation, no matter how small or big, is crucial towards ensuring the success of the siege against Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory. You can donate towards our siege fundraiser at: palestineaction.org/siege-fundraiser

If you would like more information on sending large amounts, please email us at info@palestineaction.org