LONDON: Pro-Palestinian activists broke into an American-owned weapons factory in Wales this week, local media reported.
Members of Palestine Action used sledgehammers to smash their way into Teledyne Labtech on Dec. 9 where they destroyed computers, while also splashing red paint on the outside of the building.
PA representatives said the action was carried out to protest the firm’s reported involvement in supplying military hardware to Israel used in its occupation of the Palestinian Territories.
A local police statement said a “large number” of officers were called to the site to respond to the protest, adding that two people were arrested.
“Palestine Action vow to continue this action for as long as possible to stop the manufacture or shipment of Israel’s drone technologies and military gear,” PA said in a statement issued on its website.
“Teledyne Technologies, and its subsidiary E2V Technologies, hold weapons export licences for both Israel and India, where their surveillance and targeting systems are used in the repression and killing of Palestinian and Kashmiri civilians.
“Teledyne produces image sensors for military applications, as well as high-resolution surveillance technology for Israel’s illegal apartheid wall. Israel’s armed drone fleet, deployed in successive assaults on Gaza since the 51-day attack in 2014, are also outfitted with Teledyne targeting systems, which enables Israel to precision target children and schools.
“Teledyne Technologies’ products are therefore directly attributable to the surveillance and murder of thousands of Palestinians,” it added.
The action in Wales comes after a recent PA protest at the techUK Defense Winter Dinner in London, where five activists entered the Landmark Hotel and seized the microphone, calling out attendees, including Elbit Systems, for their ties to Israel.
“For over two years, Palestine Action’s campaign has primarily focussed on Elbit Systems — Israel’s largest arms firm — and has seen two of their sites forced to close permanently,” the PA statement continued.
“Britain is now a hostile environment for all companies involved in the brutalisation and murder of Palestinians. Elbit Systems is one such company, but Teledyne Technologies are another major player.
“They supply surveillance equipment for Israel’s apartheid wall, and targeting systems for their fleet of combat drones. Tackling the imperialist hydra means cutting off all its heads, so we will shut down each and every company complicit in the ongoing colonisation of Palestine.”
