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Protesters block access to Israeli-based defence firm in north Bristol
Members of a pro-Palestine group set up a blockade outside an Israeli-headquartered defence firm in north Bristol.
Video footage posted on social media depicted protesters lying down on the road outside Elbit System in Aztec West, Patchway, with a banner reading ‘shut Elbit down’.
Elbit Systems is an Israel-based international defence electronics company which develops products and systems for homeland security and defence.
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According to the company website, it manufactures military aircraft, electronic warfare, and surveillance systems.
Palestinian Action, which has targeted the Bristol base numerous times, is a direct action network aiming to “end to UK complicity with Israeli apartheid”.
The group’s blockade started at 7am on Tuesday with the group claiming they prevented dozens of vehicles from entering the grounds.
Protesters also targeted other Elbit Systems facilities in the UK, including in Shenstone, a village in Staffordshire. Footage shows them on the roof of the factory waving Palestine flags, spraying red paint and holding smoke bombs.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Elbit Systems UK said: “Our important work providing advanced technology and critical support for the British armed forces has continued uninterrupted.
“We utterly condemn those inciting and carrying out illegal and violent attacks on sites and individuals across the United Kingdom.
“Elbit Systems UK is working with the police and the relevant authorities to prosecute any person or group threatening the safety of our staff.”
The action happened two days after marches erupted across the UK in support of Palestine, including in Bristol where thousands walked from a mosque in Easton to the city centre.
Main photo: Palestine Action
Read next:
- Nine arrested after activists target defence electronics firm
- Dozens protest BBC Israel-Palestine coverage outside Bristol HQ
- Bristol religious leaders call for ‘swift and peaceful’ end to Israel-Palestine conflict
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