Palestine Action were causing problems for Israel’s war machine up and down the UK on Monday 17 June – leaving cops scrabbling to contain the metaphorical fires the group created.
Palestine Action: carry on camping
Activists have set up camp at the premises of Elbit Systems’ UAV Engines, Shenstone, increasing pressure on the Israeli drone manufacturer which has found its weapons-sights factory in Kent, and the offices of its major shareholder Scotiabank, shut down by Palestine Action.
The camp, far from the first that Palestine Action has undertaken against the Israeli-owned Staffordshire factory, has been established in the trees surrounding the Lynn Lane, Lichfield site:
BREAKING: Palestine Action set up camp outside Elbit’s drone engine factory in Shenstone
We’ll be a daily reminder that it’s the beginning of the end for the Israeli weapons maker
Join us opposite UAV Engines Ltd, Lynn Lane, WS14 0DT pic.twitter.com/iGzFdyZr5w
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 17, 2024
Limiting the operational capacity of the factory, the Palestine Action camp threatens the production of the drone engines and components therefore which UAV Engines is currently producing for the Israeli military.
UAV Engines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, the parent company producing for 85% of Israel’s drone fleet. This includes the Hermes 450 and 900 drones terrorising Gaza, the rotary Wankel-style engines for which originate from UAV Engines in Shenstone.
While UAV Engines regularly claims that they produce solely for the British Ministry of Defence, export license information, showing their regular shipment of ML10 UAV parts, along with Freedom of Information requests detailing the company’s non-disclosure agreement in place with the Israeli ‘military end-user’ of their products, suggests that this is a falsehood.
Shut Israel’s war machine down
On the same day, Palestine Action activists took on another Elbit site – storming and breaking apart the premises of Instro Precision, the Kent-based manufacturer of weapons sights and targeting systems similarly exported for use by Israel’s genocidal military:
BREAKING: Actionists cut through 3 security fences to get inside Elbit's 'highly secure' compound and break into Kent's Israeli weapons factory.
Once inside, they begun dismantling machinery, technology and parts used to arm the Gaza genocide. pic.twitter.com/5yyQXJYbiA
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 17, 2024
Scotiabank, the Canadian bank which is Elbit’s largest foreign shareholder, had their London offices blockaded by a lock-on action:
BREAKING: Palestine Action lock down all entrances into Scotiabank’s London office.
Despite slashing their stake in half, the bank still invest over $230million in Israel’s biggest weapons firm, making them the largest foreign shareholder in Elbit Systems. pic.twitter.com/Wb5JK7kqKo
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 17, 2024
Cops arrested 10 people:
10 arrested in London for blockading Scotiabank, the largest foreign investor in Israel's biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems pic.twitter.com/Dk4WAySUpI
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 17, 2024
It came a week after Palestine Action activists smashed and sprayed red the premises of 20 Barclays branches across the country as a result of their billions invested in Israel’s genocide. As the Canary previously reported, activists broke windows of Barclays branches and offices across England and Scotland on Monday 10 June to demand the bank divests from Israel’s weapons trade and fossil fuels.
Featured image via Palestine Action
By The Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.