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In May 2022, nine members of Palestine Action occupied the Bristol headquarters of the international arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in protest against British complicity with Israeli war crimes.
The trial of seven of those activists is now taking place at Bristol crown court, where they are pleading not guilty to charges of burglary and criminal damage.
War crimes horrify the world
The trial coincides with the most concentrated genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people to be conducted by Israel and its imperialist backers since the first Nakba (catastrophe) which marked the bloody imposition of the illegitimate state of Israel in 1948.
From the outset, this zionist project has served the interests of US and British imperialism in the oil-rich middle east.
Clearly it is Elbit and British imperialism that should be in the dock for their crimes against humanity.
Resistance resurgence
But the trial also coincides with the tsunami of popular support for the Palestinian cause unleashed by the heroic Al-Aqsa Flood operation by resistance forces on 7 October 2023.
The upsurge of joy drove millions out onto the street to express their solidarity with the resistance (a resistance that brought together many groupings locally and regionally, including in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen), and putting to shame those who had tried to force a cowardly policy of ‘normalisation’ of relations with Israel onto the masses.
Particularly inspiring has been the example set by the revolutionary Ansarullah government of Yemen, effectively blockading Israel by harassing all Israel-bound or Israeli-affiliated shipping in the Red Sea, by missile launches, making incendiary attacks and even by outright siezure.
This is indeed a very welcome extension of the policy of international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) that has long been called for by Palestinians.
Mass non-cooperation
The courageous actions of the Elbit Seven are much to be applauded and set an example that could prove infectious. But organised labour, trade unions, should not be leaving it to the heroism of a handful of activists to make all the sacrifices.
Workers who refuse to manufacture or transport weapons destined for use against Palestinians, or to fill supermarket shelves with Israeli goods, or to help spread the imperialist war propaganda, should be given the fullest support by their unions.
And if union members do not get that necessary support and leadership from their existing leaders, let them find others better suited for the job.
Free the Elbit Seven!
No cooperation with zionist war crimes!
Victory to the Palestinian resistance!
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More information about the trial on the Palestine Action website.
