Anti-Israel vandals arrested for hammering UK factory wall while riding cherry pickers

The Wednesday incident saw the Palestine Action vandals riding the basket of cherry pickers while smashing and removing bricks from the wall of the UAV Engines Limited Lichfield District factory.

By MICHAEL STARR DECEMBER 30, 2024 15:16

MEMBERS OF the Palestine Action Group gather in Sydney, in May. ‘Pro-Palestine’ demonstrators are no longer able to make a moral distinction between justice and injustice, the writer says. (photo credit: Alasdair Pal/Reuters)

Five anti-Israel vandals were arrested on Christmas Day for attempting to tunnel through a Elbit Systems-linked UK factory wall using hammers and chisels, according to the Staffordshire Police and Palestine Action.

The Wednesday incident saw the Palestine Action vandals riding the basket of cherry pickers while smashing and removing bricks from the wall of the UAV Engines Limited Lichfield District factory, according to footage published by the activist group. The Cherry Picker's cabs were barricaded with barbed wire and metal grates to prevent police from entering the vehicles.

In videos posted by Palestine Action on Instagram, police and security were seen observing the vandals damage the Shenstone parish facility. Eventually police managed to drag away the recalcitrant vandals.

The five vandals aged 20-60 were released on bail, said police, investigations continued into alleged crimes including aggravated trespass, criminal damage to property, conspiring to destroy or damage property, and locking onto a object to cause serious disruption.

Palestine Action celebrated the release of their activists, sharing a video on Thursday of the suspects holding a Palestinian flag while chanting "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free," and that "Palestine is Arab."

The vandals targeted UAV Engines Limited because of its affiliation with Israeli defense firm Elbit. Several officers are listed on a UK government registry as having an Elbit correspondence address.

"With over a year of an escalation of genocide in Gaza, and over 76 years of occupation, it's up to ordinary people to take direct action to end our complicity," Palestine Action said on social media on Wednesday. "No matter the amount of state repression, we will continue to resist for the Palestinian people. Ultimately, we will complete our mission of bringing an end to Elbit's presence in Britain."

One of the activists claimed that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles were part of "the UK's campaign" to bomb innocent people in Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza.

Previous targeting of the site

The site has previously been the target of anti-Israel activists. On November 25, police said that they had arrested two older women for suspicion of "lock-on" protest after responding to reports of the entrance of the factory being "being blocked off." According to Palestine Action, two activists were arrested after they locked themselves into a car to blockade the facility gates.

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On Friday, Bryn Higgs, 60, appeared at North Staffordshire Justice Centre and was taken into custody for his protests at the same factory on July 31. The Ullapool resident was charged with locking onto an object to cause serious disruption, conspiring to destroy or damage property, and criminal damage to property.

Palestine Action has engaged in a vandalism campaign against Israel-linked businesses and organizations in order to pressure companies into ending relationships with Israel.