Palestine Action wins 'not guilty' on 12 charges in Elbit Eight case

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Palestine Action
27 Dec 2023 16:10

The Elbit Eight walked out of court with 'not guilty' verdict, but this is not the end, as the Crown Prosecution Service has until January 18, 2024, to decide whether to retry the counts following much anticipated political pressure.

An image showing a poster saying 'We stand with Elbit 8' at the entrance of Snaresbrook Crown Court where the trial took place on December 22, 2023. (Palestine Action)

Eight Palestine Action activists who adopted direct action as an approach to halting the Israeli arms trade were cleared of 12 counts, including criminal damage, burglary, and inciting criminal damage, in a historic case, according to the latest press release issued by the group.

The trial started on November 13, and focused on several activities undertaken between July 2020 and January 2021, the first six months that Palestine Action began operating.

It is significant to note that the co-founder of Palestine Action, Richard Barnard, was found guilty on one count of criminal damage, by a 10-2 majority, during an action at the now-closed Elbit Ferranti factory in Oldham. However, at least one jury member requested to have their verdict changed after.

This request was denied, and vote-changing was prohibited, but the attorneys of Palestine Action found that this could be good grounds to appeal this conviction against Barnard.

As for the remaining 23 charges, the jury has repeatedly failed to reach a majority decision. In turn, the Crown Prosecution Service have until January 18, 2024, to decide whether to retry the counts following much anticipated political pressure.

Elbit Six?

Two of the Elbit Eight, Genevieve Scherer and Jocelyn Cooney, were unanimously acquitted on all charges. If the trial returns, the Elbit Eight will instead be the Elbit Six.

Co-founder of #Palestine Action US, Calla Walsh, discusses the importance of the activities of the movement alongside the peaceful protests taking place in the West, despite the risks activists might face as a result.#Gaza #GazaGenocide @Pal_ActionUS @CallaWalsh pic.twitter.com/uqHzTaH12x
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 8, 2023

The charges related to the occupation of Elbit Systems drone factory in Shenstone and Oldham, actions at its weaponry factory in Kent, Elbit’s London offices and the offices of Elbit’s landlords, Jones Lang LaSalle.

In Germany, on the other hand, Palestine Action managed to pressure Fisher German to drop the Israeli weapons manufacturer.

Activists successfully pressure Fisher German

Fisher German (FG), the property manager for Elbit Systems’ Shenstone drone factory, has cut ties with the Israeli occupation's arms manufacturer according to Palestine Action, which announced having received an email confirmation from FG.

This comes after iO Associates, Elbit's former recruiters, decided to drop the largest Israeli weapons manufacturer following a series of campaigns carried out by the direct action network.

The real estate conglomerate acknowledged that it no longer had any links to Elbit Systems or the Shenstone headquarters of its subsidiary, UAV Engines Ltd (UEL). It is worth noting that UEL designs and manufactures drone engines, which it describes as "engines for various size tactical UAVs, target drones, and single mission platforms."

This is significant because the plant is an important Elbit subsidiary that manufactures the engine for the Hermes 450 surveillance drone that has been modified to carry missiles.