The success of Palestine Action, including its ongoing campaign against the Israeli Arms Company, Elbit Systems, contrasts sharply with the abject failure of the British political class to do anything about Elbit Systems manufacturing weapons on British soil, which are then used to commit war crimes against the Palestinian people.
The legendary victories of the mighty Palestine Action group continue in the UK. Within the space of two days, the exceptional direct action network announced two major wins against Israel's largest Arms Company, Elbit Systems.
Following a yearlong campaign by Palestine action against its facilities, the UK bank, Barclays, sold all of its shares in Elbit Systems.
Until quite recently, Barclays held more than 16,000 shares in the firm.
Beginning a little more than a year ago, activists across the UK carried out 54 actions against Barclays locations as part of the Palestine action campaign.
Many of these undertakings, which aimed to increase the costs of interacting with Elbit, involved smashing branch windows and spray painting them blood red. These actions caused Barclays locations to be unavailable for weeks.
According to the most recent US Securities and Exchange Commission's filings, Barclays currently owns zero shares in Elbit Systems limited, which represents a decrease of 16,345 shares from the last report on May 15, 2024.
A Palestine Action spokesperson stated: "Through a focused strategy, direct action has achieved multiple successes and forced the hands of many complicit institutions. We will remain committed and focused to the task at hand and target any and all institutions and businesses that enable Israel's biggest weapons firm to maintain their genocidal operations."
That means if Barclays does reinvest into Elbit Systems in the future, Palestine Action will come knocking again.
The very next day, the Direct Action Group announced that APCO Worldwide, a lobby group employed by Elbit Systems to represent it to the UK government, has also been forced to cut ties due to Palestine Action's direct targeting.
The path in the West is clear, direct action works.
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