by Michael Starr
Elbit had logged 170 Palestine Action attacks against 37 companies since from July 2020 until November 2023.
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The ransacking and vandalism of a Buckinghamshire defense company on Thursday is the latest in a post-October 7 Massacre campaign of property damage and defacement by an anti-Israel activist group that has been operating in the United Kingdom for years.
Palestine Action, an anti-Israel network with branches in the US and throughout Europe, has been engaged in "direct action" against Israeli defense firms and businesses accused of associating with them since 2020, but has escalated its operations during the Israel-Hamas war. Since inception its chief preoccupation has been the Israel defense contractor Elbit Systems.
So-called "actionists" claimed to have broken into Grid Defense Systems' Buckinghamshire building on Thursday. In a video in social media, activists defenestrated the contents of the office's rooms, casting it onto the grounds outside.
"From inside, arms components are dismantled and shipments destined for Elbit are completely shattered," said Palestine Action, claiming that they had discovered in a June 17 Kent raid on Elbit that suppliers for the company had been discovered. "Unless they cut ties with Elbit, we will shut down each one of them."
Palestine Action has been targeting financial institutions for alleged investments or ties to Elbit.
Activists smashed the windows and splashed paint on JP Morgan's Edinburgh offices on Wednesday.
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A Police Scotland spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post that "the building was found to have sustained significant damage" and that enquires were at an early stage.
Palestine Action claimed on Instagram that the investment bank had been targeted in Italy, Portugal, and Manchester in the last two weeks.
On Monday Palestine Action said that it had smashed the windows of JP Morgan's office near Manchester's St. Peter's Square.
"Evict JP Morgan," said graffiti according to photographs published by the group.
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Activists allegedly simultaneously attacked Barclays' Altrincham branch, again breaking windows and spraying red paint.
"Barclays holds shares in Israel’s biggest weapons firm, Elbit Systems — who arm the Zionist military and develop weapons during the ongoing Gaza genocide," Palestine Action said on social media on Monday. "Through economic disruption, dealing with Elbit is becoming an unattractive investment as it comes with the added risk of Palestine Action!"
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According to its website, Barclays does not invest in defense companies or Elbit directly, it provides financial services for clients who invest, and therefor the company may hold shares for those clients.
“We provide vital financial services to US, UK and European public companies that supply defence products to NATO and its allies. Barclays does not directly invest in these companies,” a Barclays spokesperson told The Post. “The defence sector is fundamental to our national security and decisions on the implementation of arms embargos to other nations are the job of respective elected governments. While we support the right to protest, it is not acceptable to intimidate our people or cause criminal damage.”
The group claimed to have attacked 20 Barclays branches across England and Scotland two weeks prior.
A Chatham branch that according to Palestine Action had just reopened after previous attacks was targeted again Monday, with the group damaging the site with its usual modus operandi. North Kent Police said red paint had also been poured onto cash machines. Law enforcement is investigating the incident and is calling for witnesses and relevant private security footage.
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The group has directly targeted Elbit as well, on Monday allegedly having "actionists" placing a car filled with cement and laying down to try to prevent access to a Bristol site. All seven of the involved activists were reportedly released from the Patchway police station.
On June 17, activists posted footage of what they said was them breaking into Elbit's Kent facilities. They claimed to have cut through three fences to access the site. Once inside, they smashed machinery causing, according to a June 18 Instagram post, over £1million worth of damage. After 36 hours police reportedly released the seven activists, though they are still under investigation, Palestine Action said.
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According to UK Government independent adviser on political violence and disruption Lord John Woodcock's May 21 report to the House of Commons on coercive threats to democracy, Elbit had logged 170 Palestine Action attacks against 37 companies since from July 2020 until November 2023.
Elbit UK is described in the report as frustrated with the kingdom's policing and criminal justice response, claiming that law enforcement has not developed specialized training or knowledge sharing between branches to deal with the problem."I agree with Elbit UK’s assessment that Palestine Action’s four-year criminal campaign has had a detrimental effect on the UK defense sector," the Woodcock wrote.
The Baron Walney said that since the October 7 Hamas attacks, Palestine action has vandalized the BBC headquarters, Arthur Balfour's statue in parliament, damaging Balfour's painting at Trinity College, and the Defense Ministry.
Woodcock recommended that the government create a sanction to prevent the group from fundraising and assembling, as it was one of the "most aggressively engaged in law breaking and business disruption" of anti-Israel radical organizations.
The group continues to operating recruitment and training for its vandalism campaign, advertising "direct action" training days on Saturday in Manchester, Sunday in Leicester, and next Sunday in London.
"When our government continues to enable the Gaza genocide, it’s the responsibility of ordinary people to take direct action," said Palestine Action. "Ready to bring down the Zionist war machine? Join an upcoming training day."
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Michael Starr
Source: https://www.jpost.com/bds-threat/article-808018
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