Palestine Action protesters defeat decades-long felony charges
2 Min Read
Four Palestine Action protesters, dubbed the Merrimack 4, reduce their-decades long sentence after being involved in an extensive legal battle with Elbit Systems and the state of New Hampshire.
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Palestine Action activists protest at an Elbit Systems facility on September 23, 2024 (X/Pal_action)
Four Palestine Action activists have resolved the case raised against them and settled for a sentence of 60 days instead of 37 years, for protesting the genocide in Gaza.
Paige Belanger, Sophie Ross, Bridget Shergalis, and Calla Walsh were involved in a legal battle for attacking the Elbit Systems facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire on 20 November 2023.
Elbit Systems has been the target of a series of pro-Palestine protests, organized by Palestine Action, accusing the arms company of being complicit in the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip for its continued weapon deliveries to "Israel".
The protest, which involved the occupation of the Elbit building's roof, a road blockade, and an attack on its facade, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damages, was consequently coined a "siege and riot" by the state.
Ross, Shergalis, and Walsh were all arrested at gunpoint but were released three days later on $5,000 to $20,000 bail.
As a result, a New Hampshire Attorney General charged the protesters with conspiracy to commit criminal mischief, conspiracy to commit burglary, criminal trespass, riot, sabotage, and conspiracy to commit falsifying physical evidence. Their sentence amounted to 37 years in jail.
Belanger was also arrested later in January. The four co-defendants were given no-contact orders, which were dropped in May after their defense attorneys won a motion.
In January, as the case gained significant momentum and sparked major outrage, several pro-Palestinian movements, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and Palestine Solidarity Working Group, issued a statement demanding all charges be dropped, slamming the felony as "repression".
Almost a year later, the co-defendants, called the 'Merrimack 4', are now pleading guilty to two charges only: misdemeanor criminal mischief and criminal trespass, reducing their sentence to 60 days under several conditions, including a 24-month suspended sentence for 3 years and a stay-away order from every Elbit Systems facility.
Ross and Walsh, however, still face several charges for their role in a pro-Palestine protest at another Elbit Systems location, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
After dismantling an Israeli weapons factory in the US, four actionists will serve 60 days in jail.
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) September 25, 2024
They sacrificed their liberty to #ShutElbitDown, and will be imprisoned for trying to stop a genocide. https://t.co/JWIx0y0j38
Read more: Elbit Cambridge to close following months of pro-Palestine protests
