‘Got Palestine Actioned': Actionists continue to tear down Israel's largest arms firm

By Maryam Qarehgozlou

A striking scene unfolds as the once-pristine industrial building lies marred by red paint, shattered windows, and jagged glass strewn across the debris, presenting a familiar scene of action against the Israeli regime’s leading weapons manufacturer.

In another brave act of solidarity, pro-Palestine activists on Saturday successfully dismantled the Bristol headquarters of Elbit Systems, sending a powerful message to Israel’s genocidal policies against Palestinians and the global arms trade that fuels them.

A group of “actionists” from Palestine Action, a direct action movement committed to ending global support for the Israeli genocidal regime, employed a forklift and a rope-attached hammer to smash windows and douse the company’s Aztec West facility near Bristol with red paint.

Palestine Action utilizes disruptive strategies to target corporations enabling the Israeli military-industrial complex, with the ultimate goal of rendering it unprofitable for these companies to continue contributing to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

“We are at the Elbit HQ in Bristol and we are in a versalift, damaging windows and getting paint everywhere. The police have not been able to do anything,” a member of Palestine Action said in a video shared by the group on X, formerly Twitter.

She said a fourth person had locked himself inside the van at the base of the forklift.

“We’re all here because we believe that Palestine should be free. Because we believe that no human being should be subjected to a genocide,” she asserted.

“No one should have everything they know, their home, their family, their friends, taken away from them in the most brutal ways imaginable. Nobody should have to live under an occupation.”

Another member of the group in a video shared on X called for the complete and unconditional freedom of Palestine, highlighting the collective effort and determination of the protesters.

“We’ll never stop until this war machine and terrorist state is dismantled, window by window, brick by brick, row by row, until Elbit is shut for good out of this country, until Palestine is free, unconditionally, completely,” said the activist.

Palestine Action later reported that four actionists were arrested after they dismantled Elbit’s Bristol headquarters, inflicting severe economic damage on Israel’s biggest weapons producer.

“They sacrificed their liberty for the people of Palestine,” said the group.

How does Palestine Action operate?

Employing a strategic, sustained, and targeted approach, Palestine Action activists aim to disrupt and dismantle the essential components of Israel’s military-industrial complex through focused direct action against its key enablers.

“Direct action means targeting the source of the problem and intervening ourselves. It means rather than appeal to institutions, politicians, or any others to create the necessary changes; we create the change using our own power. It means imagining the future we want and bringing it to the present, for example,e if we want to see Elbit shut down, we shut Elbit down,” said Palestine Action.

“Direct action, which we employ, bypasses our complicit government and forces the necessary change ourselves – it doesn’t involve appealing to those who perpetrate Palestinian oppression."

The Palestine Action campaign primarily focuses on Elbit Systems, a company whose business model thrives on the destruction of Palestine and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Elbit is seen as the embodiment of the Zionist regime in the UK, providing the Israeli military with 85 percent of its drones, land-based equipment, electronic warfare systems, munitions, and more.

Since October 2023, nearly 49,000 Palestinians—the majority being women and children— have been killed in Gaza, according to official estimates. The unofficial estimates are much higher.

The Israeli military has during this period employed Elbit’s quadcopter drones extensively. According to Palestine Action, Elbit’s business model relies on the destruction of Palestine and its population.

Their weapons are often marketed as “battle-tested”, demonstrating how they use Palestinians as test subjects before these technologies are exported to fuel imperialism and colonialism elsewhere.

How British banking giant Barclays was forced to divest from top Israeli arms firm

British banking giant Barclays has divested from the Israeli regime’s biggest weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems following a sustained campaign led by Palestine Action.

In addition to Elbit Systems, Palestine Action targets other weapons companies as well, such as Leonardo, Thales, and Teledyne.

The campaign is not limited to shutting down weapons manufacturers but extends to companies and institutions associated with them as well.

Other activism by Palestine Action: Allianz Commercial

Palestine Action has achieved tremendous success in its sustained campaign against companies that are complicit in Israeli genocidal policies in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.

Last Monday, Palestine Action carried out a targeted protest against Allianz Commercial at their City of London premises, as part of an ongoing and escalating campaign against the insurance giant.

Activists climbed onto the canopy above the entrance of Allianz Commercial and doused the building with red paint, symbolizing the bloodshed of Palestinian people and Allianz’s role in the genocide.

Allianz, according to documented evidence, provides insurance for and invests in Elbit Systems.

In an earlier action last Sunday, a Palestine Action drone disrupted the England vs. Italy match at Allianz Twickenham Stadium during the 67th minute of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, flying a Palestinian flag over the stadium.

“Without the insurance provided by Allianz, Elbit could not build Israeli weapons in Britain that are tested on Palestinians," a Palestine Action spokesperson said at the time.

The military killer drones made by Elbit come to kill and maim Palestinians, however, our drone came with a simple message: Allianz must drop Elbit."

These actions followed a coordinated wave of actions late in January, where 15 Allianz offices across Europe—including locations in Britain, Portugal, Germany, and the Netherlands—were covered in red paint and had their windows smashed.

Before that, in October 2024, Palestine Action occupied the rooftop of Allianz’s British head office in Guildford, further raising awareness about their campaign against the insurance company’s complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Trump Turnberry golf course: ‘Gaza is not for sale’

On March 8, Palestine Action launched an overnight operation to wreck the “Trump Turnberry” golf course, in southwest Scotland.

The action was a direct response to US President Donald Trump's threats to destroy, ethnically cleanse, and “take over” the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

Activists entered the 800-acre resort and painted “GAZA IS NOT FOR SALE” in 3-meter-high letters across the lawn of the South Ayrshire course.

They also spray-painted the clubhouse and dug up the greens, including the course’s most prestigious holes that have been featured in numerous Open Championships.

“Palestine Action rejects Donald Trump’s treatment of Gaza as though it were his property to dispose of as he likes. To make that clear, we have shown him that his own property is not safe from acts of resistance," a spokesperson from Palestine Action stated.

"We will continue to take action against US-Israeli colonialism in the Palestinian homeland."

Cambridge University

In a collaborative effort, autonomous students and Palestine Action targeted Cambridge University on March 4, protesting the institution’s ties to Israeli genocidal war crimes.

Activists covered the Old Schools building, which manages the university’s endowment fund, in blood-red paint, demanding immediate divestment from companies complicit in war crimes.

Cambridge University continues to conduct research partnerships with Israeli institutes and its constituent colleges invest heavily in Elbit Systems.

Cambridge University has been the subject of multiple actions due to its refusal to address its connections to Israeli human rights violations.

In November, the Institute for Manufacturing, which supports several Israel-supplying arms firms, was sprayed red, as was the historical Senate House building in June 2024.

Trinity College at Cambridge, which held $78,089 in Elbit shares at the time of the last disclosures, has been repeatedly targeted for its complicity in the US-Israel and Elbit-backed genocide.

Trinity continues to maintain its investments in Elbit, despite misleading its students on the matter.

Rafael weapons factory

On February 18, activists from Palestine Action initiated a shutdown of the Rafael weapons factory at Armstrong Works in Newcastle.

A modified vehicle was used to obstruct both entrances to the facility, with an activist locked inside the secured vehicle. Other activists climbed atop the security box, covering the premises in blood-red paint to symbolize the Palestinians killed by Rafael-manufactured weapons.

Rafael is Israel’s third-largest weapons manufacturer and is owned directly by the Zionist regime.

In September 2023, Rafael announced that Armstrong Works would play a significant role in delivering the Samson 30mm Remote Weapons Station, which is used around the perimeters of besieged Gaza and in Southern Lebanon.

These systems allow the Israeli military to carry out indiscriminate remote killings of civilians. 

In May 2023, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, Palestine Action occupied the roof of the Rafael factory, shutting it down for two days, causing £69,000 in damage to the site and £600,000 in losses while halting arms production.

Since then, local pro-Palestine activists have held regular protests outside the factory gates, with some instances of violent police intervention and arrests.

Eagle Strategic Consulting

On February 10, Palestine Action activists targeted Eagle Strategic Consulting Ltd. for the third time.

The weapons consultancy firm, owned by Richard Applegate, had its door smashed and its interior spray-painted red by the activists.

Applegate, Elbit’s former chairman and current Head of Strategy and New Business for Elbit Systems UK, also serves as Director for Elbit’s drone-producing subsidiaries in Britain.

Eagle Strategic Consulting’s role in embedding Israel’s arms trade in Britain is evident, as it facilitates defense contracts and secures government deals that fund Israel’s ongoing war crimes.

CDW’s Manchester offices

On February 6, Palestine Action targeted the Manchester offices of CDW, a computer support and services company that provides Elbit Systems with supply chain management, IT solutions, cybersecurity, and eProcurement services.

The action involved smashing the front door, breaking windows, and covering the building in symbolic blood-red paint.

The message “CDW drop Elbit” was spray-painted on the entrance.

CDW’s support of Elbit Systems, a company heavily involved in genocidal activities, has been the focus of previous Palestine Action campaigns.

The Manchester CDW offices were blockaded by Palestine Action in July 2024, and the Peterborough offices have also been repeatedly targeted.

Palestine Action victories

Palestine Action’s campaigns have successfully pressured several companies to sever their ties with Elbit Systems.

Transportation giant Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) announced in February 2024 that it had terminated all ties with Elbit Systems and would not collaborate with them in the future.

In March 2024, relentless direct action led Elbit Systems to sell its Elite KL factory in Tamworth, demonstrating the efficacy of sustained pressure on Israel’s arms trade.

In October 2024, Barclays PLC, a British multinational universal bank divested its 16,000 shares in Elbit following an 11-month-long campaign by Palestine Action.

In November 2024, lobby firm APCO Worldwide ended its business relationship with Elbit after a series of disruptive direct actions against its London premises.

In mid-February, LondonMetric, the landlord of Elbit’s UAV Tactical Systems drone factory, sold the site following a targeted direct action campaign that called on the company to sever ties with Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer.

On February 20, Palestine Action reported that London & Brighton (L&B) Plating’s Director Stefan De Lillis confirmed the termination of trade with L3 Harris, whose Brighton factory produces bomb release mechanisms for F-35 fighter jets.

These jets were extensively used by Israel in its devastating war on Gaza and Lebanon.

This decision came just four days after activists from Palestine Action spray-painted L&B Plating’s premises with messages urging the company to drop L3 and calling for a free Palestine.

Activism and selflessness

Palestine action activists say “Every struggle requires sacrifice.”

Currently, 21 Palestine Action political prisoners are incarcerated in British prisons, including the Filton 18, who will have the opportunity to challenge the terrorism allegations at a hearing on March 27th at the Old Bailey, as reported by the group.

In August 2024, six Actionists drove a modified prison van into Elbit’s research, development, and manufacturing hub in Filton, Bristol. Once inside, the six dismantled Israeli weapons.

The action allegedly cost Israel’s largest weapons firm over £1million in damage.

After the initial six activists were arrested at the scene, four more were apprehended by armed counter-terrorism police in various locations across the country

All ten individuals were detained without charge for approximately a week and subjected to repeated interrogations under the Terrorism Act. Eventually, each was charged with non-terrorism-related offenses, highlighting the potential misuse of anti-terror legislation.

In November, additional raids were carried out, with anti-terror laws once again being invoked, leading to the arrest and remand of eight more activists connected to the Filton action.

This brought the total number of imprisoned activists to 18.

'Elbit 8': Palestine Action activists win legal fight for disrupting Israeli arms trade

A group Palestine Action activists, known as

On the morning of June 27, 2024, Leeds city center branches of Barclay’s and JP Morgan, both of whom invest in Elbit Systems, were targeted.

Seven people were subsequently arrested. Six of the Barclay’s 7 were released on bail, while Francesca Nadin, was remanded in prison.

As the situation continues to unfold, concerns about the application of anti-terrorism measures in such cases persist. There is growing international outrage about these abuses, including condemnation by the United Nations.

“We will not be intimidated by attempts to criminalize and terrorize us,"  a spokesperson for Palestine Action said.

"Terrorists don’t throw paint, they drop bombs on innocent people. It is Netanyahu, Trump, Starmer, and Lammy, who are the criminals and terrorists, not the activists putting their liberty at risk to disrupt the slaughter taking place in Palestine and Lebanon."

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