Palestine Action were back in Staffordshire on Wednesday 27 November – blockading Elbit-supplying UAV Engines factory for the second time in a matter of days; disrupting Israel’s weapons supply chain in the process.
Palestine Action blockade UAV Engines for a second time
Following on from Palestine Action’s blockade of UAV Engines on Monday 25 November, when activists locked on inside vehicles, blocking both gates to the site, others returned today, to once again disrupt the weapons factory:
Lock-ons were once again carried out inside vehicles that blocked the factory’s main gate:
BREAKING: This morning, actionists parked up in front of the gates of Elbit’s Israeli drone maker in Staffordshire.
Elbit supplies 85% of Israel’s military drones, which are marketed as “battle-tested” on Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/6cRQGN55bK
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) November 27, 2024
UAV manufactures engines for the killer drones of Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer. As well as producing engines for Elbit’s Hermes 450 drone, which has played a central role in the Gaza Genocide, the UEL AR731 Wankel-type rotary engine, produced at Shenstone, is being used in the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IMI) Harop Kamikase drone, which is currently being upgraded to kill autonomously.
At Shenstone, cops faffed around – unsure of how to deal with Palestine Action as usual. After several hours, they finally made arrests:
Arrests made in Shenstone after actionists blockaded the gates of an Israeli weapons factory pic.twitter.com/9JcYk8Z348
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) November 27, 2024
Today’s action, and the one on Monday, came in the face of unprecedented state repression.
Unparalleled state repression – thanks to Elbit and Israel
22 Palestine Action activists are currently being held in British prisons, for resisting complicity in genocide, with some subject to repressive ‘counter terror’ powers, even though none of these political prisoners are charged with any terrorist offence.
UAV’s Shenstone factory has been targeted since the beginning of Palestine Action’s four-year long direct action campaign, and since October 7th 2023, we have shut the site down repeatedly, with blockades, occupations, and vehicular lock-ons. Our relentless commitment to closing them down, has led to the Staffordshire firm reporting its first ever operating loss.
A spokesperson for Palestine Action said:
As the British government’s complicity in the Gaza genocide becomes more and more exposed, their answer is repression, and attempting to intimidate those fighting to end their complicity. In the face of this repression, our direct action campaign will not waver, our political prisoners remain strong, and history will judge those with blood on their hands, and those fighting to end the genocide.
Featured image and additional images via Martin Pope
