British Counterterrorism Police Charge Seven with Violent Raid on Israeli Defense Firm’s Facility

British Counterterrorism Police Charge Seven with Violent Raid on Israeli Defense Firm’s Facility

Edited by:  Fern Sidman

In a significant development that underscores the tensions surrounding global defense industries and anti-Israel activism, British counterterrorism police have charged seven individuals with violent disorder and criminal damage following a dramatic raid on an Israeli defense firm’s facility in southwest England, as was reported on Tuesday in The New York Times.  This incident has sparked a broader debate about the application of anti-terrorism laws in the context of anti-Israel activism and the boundaries of lawful protest.

BREAKING: Scotiabank, the largest foreign shareholder in Elbit Systems, drop their investments in the Israeli weapons producer by nearly 50%.

Palestine Action will continue to target the bank until they fully divest! pic.twitter.com/1YcTHPthTR

— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) August 15, 2024

Above is a social media post from the Palestine Action radical group boasting of their crimes

According to the information provided in the NYT report, on August 6, a group of anti-Israel activists associated with Palestine Action, a movement dedicated to disrupting Israeli arms manufacturing operations in the United Kingdom, forcibly entered the Horizon research and development site of Elbit Systems U.K. Located in Filton, near Bristol, this facility is one of 16 sites operated by Elbit’s British subsidiaries, which collectively employ approximately 700 people. The report in the NYT added that the anti-Israel activists, in a coordinated and premeditated assault, used a van to crash through the facility’s perimeter fence, gaining access to the building.

Once inside, the protesters engaged in widespread destruction. According to the police, the group smashed equipment, damaged property, and left behind axes, sledgehammers, and other makeshift weapons, as per the information contained in the NYT report. The violence extended to confrontations with law enforcement officers, with two officers reportedly assaulted by the protesters. One of the officers was injured by a sledgehammer and required hospital treatment. The NYT described the scene as chaotic, with more than a dozen individuals involved in the attack, though most managed to flee before the authorities could apprehend them.

In the aftermath of the raid, police detained several individuals under Britain’s stringent counterterrorism laws, which allow for suspects to be held for up to 14 days without charge. Of those arrested, seven people, ranging in age from 20 to 51, have now been formally charged with violent disorder and criminal damage, as was affirmed in the NYT report.  Additionally, one 22-year-old man faces an assault charge related to the incident.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in England and Wales, has taken the unusual step of asserting that the offenses committed during the raid have a “terrorist connection.” The NYT report noted that this decision is likely to be a focal point in the upcoming court proceedings and has already sparked significant controversy.

The application of counterterrorism legislation in this case has drawn criticism, particularly from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International. The information in the NYT report indicated that the group has voiced concerns that the use of such laws may be an overreach, potentially circumventing standard legal protections and escalating charges beyond what is warranted by the facts of the case.

Tom Southerden, Amnesty U.K.’s law and human rights director, expressed deep unease over the CPS’s characterization of the offenses. He emphasized the importance of using ordinary criminal procedures to investigate and prosecute such offenses, as these methods are designed to protect the rights of the accused. “The Crown Prosecution Service’s reference to these alleged offenses having a ‘terrorist connection’ is troubling,” Southerden stated, as was reported by the NYT.  He argued that the use of counterterrorism legislation in this context risks undermining the legal protections that should be afforded to all individuals, regardless of the nature of their alleged crimes.

Palestine Action, founded in 2020, has consistently targeted Elbit Systems U.K. as part of its broader campaign against the Israeli defense industry. The group accuses Elbit of profiting from what it describes as Israel’s military actions against Palestinians, which they claim amount to genocide. The report in the NYT said that in a statement released before the charges were announced, Palestine Action defended the raid on Elbit’s Horizon site as a necessary measure to “prevent its manufacture of weapons for genocide.” The group has long argued that its actions are driven by a moral imperative to undermine what they see as the company’s complicity in Israel’s military activities.

The anti-Israel activist group also vehemently denied allegations that its members had used violence against police officers and security guards during the raid. Instead, they accused the police of engaging in a “smear campaign” to discredit their actions and silence their voices. As per the NYT report, Palestine Action claimed that the detained activists were unable to respond publicly to the accusations of violence due to their incarceration, which they argue further highlights the imbalance of power between state authorities and grassroots movements.

Elbit Systems U.K. has sought to distance itself from the allegations made by Palestine Action, particularly the claim that its Horizon facility is directly involved in supplying weapons to the Israeli military, as was revealed in the NYT report.  In a statement, the company clarified that the Horizon site does not provide any weapons or technology to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Instead, Elbit emphasized that the facility is focused on supporting the British Armed Forces and other NATO countries with advanced technology and critical support.

The Horizon facility, which opened in July 2023, has been positioned by Elbit as a key contributor to the U.K.’s defense capabilities. The company has highlighted its role in providing cutting-edge technology to the British military, portraying itself as an essential partner in ensuring national security, the report in the NYT indicated. This narrative stands in stark contrast to the accusations leveled by Palestine Action, which frames the company as an enabler of international conflict and human rights abuses.