LONDON (Middle East Eye) – Three activists in the UK have been acquitted of criminal damage over daubing the walls of a Zionist arms company with red paint.
The verdict at Newcastle-under-Lyme magistrates court, in Staffordshire, England, which was hailed as a “landmark” decision by the campaign group Palestine Action, found the three “not guilty” over the action taken against Elbit Systems subsidiary UAV Engines in February 2021.
Palestine Action has said Elbit’s drones have been used by Zionist troops to bombard and surveil Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip before they entered the global market, where they were sold as “battle-tested” and “field-proven” to repressive regimes around the world.
In his judgment, Judge Marcus Waites said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had failed to prove that the conviction of the defendants would be proportionate to their right to protest and said the duration of the protest and disruption caused had been limited and posed no threat to public order.
Speaking on Monday, one of the activists, named as Sarah, called for Elbit Systems to be prevented from operating in the UK.
“Throwing this paint may not protect Gaza. What protects Gaza is stopping the bombing. Elbit produce weapons, tanks and drones used to commit crimes against humanity, and this is what is unlawful. Export licenses should not be granted while Elbit continue to violate human rights,” she said in court.
“In the face of these crimes, you have to do something. If you do nothing, then Elbit continues to make its smart weaponry which enables Israel to kill efficiently. Elbit has no business being allowed to be in the UK.”
The UK operations of Elbit, founded in 1966 with headquarters in the occupied city of Haifa, have been targeted several times by Palestine Action.
Past protests have taken place at sites linked to the company, including in the county of Kent, the Greater Manchester area, Runcorn and Leicester.
February’s protest involved members of both Palestine Action and environmental campaigners, Extinction Rebellion.
Activists spray-painted the walls, scaled a ledge and hung a banner reading “Shut Elbit Down”. In statements to the media, the campaigners said they opposed “an economy based on devastation, occupation and war”.
Last month, the company opened a branch in the United Arab Emirates as relations between the two regimes continued to thaw following last summer’s normalization agreement.
Elbit also had a booth in the Dubai Air Show in November, representing the occupying regime for the first time.