Activists ‘break into building of firm with links to drone factory’
PALESTINE ACTION SAY THEY HAVE
ACTIVISTS involved in the protest camp outside the Elbit Systems drone factory in Leicester yesterday said they had smashed their way into another Meridian Business Park company headquarters.
Members of Palestine Action broke into the Kuehne + Nagel building on the opposite side of Meridian East and spray-painted the offices and took apart office equipment, including phones and computers, before leaving, they said.
The company is a global transport business that the activists said worked with Elbit Systems.
Elbit’s UAV Tactical Systems factory, in Meridian East, makes drones, and the activists are trying to disrupt the company’s supply chain, claiming the company helps Israel’s military target civilians with the drones. Elbit has called Palestine Action’s claims lies.
In the past 12 days the protesters have been carrying out a “siege” at the factory, camping nearby and trying to disrupt activity at the site.
In a statement yesterday afternoon, the campaigners said: “Kuehne + Nagel should have known that by working with Elbit they are supporting murder and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
“Making the deliveries or overseeing the logistics is a direct contribution to Israel’s weapons supply chain.
“We remind all complicit companies that they ought to cease their facilitation of Israel’s crimes, or Palestine Action will cease it for them.”
The Mercury has asked Kuehne + Nagel for a comment. Elbit has previously told the Mercury: “Elbit Systems UK is proud to provide critical support to the British armed forces and it is deeply irresponsible to attempt to disrupt this work, particularly at a time of global instability.”
The company said the principal accusations levelled against it were that it produces the Hermes drone, which Palestine Action claims is used by the Israeli military to target Palestinian civilians.
The Elbit spokesman said the company did not produce the Hermes drone, nor export any arms to Israel. He said any suggestion otherwise was a “fabrication”.
The camp outside the drone factory began on Monday, May 1, when about 250 protesters were at the site to block vehicles entering or exiting the site. On Wednesday a man drove a car up to the gate of the Elbit factory at around 9am with his hands glued to the steering wheel before a woman then locked herself inside the back of the car.
Two arrests were made, taking the total number of arrests to 43.
Police said they had received a report of criminal damage at a business in the area and that it would be thoroughly investigated.