FWIW I wish I could find a reporting of this story in some other, less contriversial, non-blog publication but the alternatives are the Canary, Middle East Eye, Novara, People’s Dispatch, PressTV and Tribune Magazine. The plethora of reporting on the topic suggests this is a real event regardless of claims about bias, but it seems strange, almost deferential to Home Office interests, that other papers, such as The Guardian, The Independent, whatever Reach local paper is applicable or Channel 4 News are not reporting on it having happened.
So I went with the source that has an IRL publication instead of being online-only.
Incidentally, there’s a metered paywall, so here’s the text:
> AN ISRAELI-OWNED weapons factory in the north-west is being sold following a sustained campaign of action by Palestine supporters.
> Elbit Ferranti in Oldham, Greater Manchester, manufactures components for drones and pilotless aircraft supplied to the Israeli military, which campaigners say are used in attacks on Gaza.
> For more than 18 months, the factory has been targeted in weekly protests organised by the Oldham Peace & Justice group and backed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
> Occupations by direct-action group Palestine Action have repeatedly shut the factory and halted production.
> Now Elbit has announced it is being sold to TT Electronics as part of a “restructuring” of its British operations.
> Chief executive of Elbit Systems UK Martin Fausset said: “This reorganisation is part of our strategy to focus activities on certain areas in order to support the continuous expansion of our operations and collaborations in the UK.”
> But the Palestine campaigners said the decision is a victory for them.
> A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “Occupations of the site have caused weeks of forced factory closure and have cost millions in damages to the company.
> “Direct action works: the brave individuals who occupied the factory over the past year can proudly say that drone technologies are no longer in production in Oldham.”
> The group said the sale of the factory “is most likely due to the impossibility of continuing at the often-occupied site, the massive financial impact of occupations and an attempt to avoid more bad publicity.”
> The first action taken in Oldham by Palestine Action, in late August 2020, involved spraying the premises in blood-red paint, symbolising the Palestinian bloodshed made possible with Elbit Ferranti technologies.
> As reported in the Morning Star, activists have blockaded the factory, “locking on” to gates and blocking off roads leading to the site.
> Activists have also occupied the building itself by breaking in and clambering onto the roof.
> Such actions have lasted up to 12 hours, causing substantial losses to the firm, campaigners say.
> Thirty-six people have been arrested during the Elbit occupations in Oldham.
> The sale still leaves Elbit UK with 10 sites in Britain, employing over 500 people engaged in high-tech and specialist manufacturing activities for military and civilian uses.
> Other Elbit factories have also been targeted in protests and occupations, including at Shenstone in Staffordshire
Pretty much all that’s changing is the name on the factory doors.
> Direct action works
That’s why they’re not covering it in mainstream media; the narrative is very much that we should fit into the ideas they have about how society works, and direct action runs counter to that.
Also, it would embarrass them over their stance that climate change can’t be dealt with by individual reduction of consumption, that we should all keep shopping and consuming expensive culture to have a lifestyle they can chatter about while we wait for the heroes to make the bad thing go away.
The idea that, if we care, we can do something to change the world that isn’t from a scene in a romcom or a hero movie, is anathema to them, as it stops them being important people in the social network.
And then there’s their bafflingly guilt-ridden approach to Anglo-Israeli relations, their fear of being called racist by anyone because they aren’t sure that they aren’t, best demonstrated by David Baddiel being the champion of how to deal with racism and bullying, despite his many years being a high profile racist and bully of people on the TV in the 90s.
3 comments
FWIW I wish I could find a reporting of this story in some other, less contriversial, non-blog publication but the alternatives are the Canary, Middle East Eye, Novara, People’s Dispatch, PressTV and Tribune Magazine. The plethora of reporting on the topic suggests this is a real event regardless of claims about bias, but it seems strange, almost deferential to Home Office interests, that other papers, such as The Guardian, The Independent, whatever Reach local paper is applicable or Channel 4 News are not reporting on it having happened.
So I went with the source that has an IRL publication instead of being online-only.
Incidentally, there’s a metered paywall, so here’s the text:
> AN ISRAELI-OWNED weapons factory in the north-west is being sold following a sustained campaign of action by Palestine supporters.
> Elbit Ferranti in Oldham, Greater Manchester, manufactures components for drones and pilotless aircraft supplied to the Israeli military, which campaigners say are used in attacks on Gaza.
> For more than 18 months, the factory has been targeted in weekly protests organised by the Oldham Peace & Justice group and backed by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
> Occupations by direct-action group Palestine Action have repeatedly shut the factory and halted production.
> Now Elbit has announced it is being sold to TT Electronics as part of a “restructuring” of its British operations.
> Chief executive of Elbit Systems UK Martin Fausset said: “This reorganisation is part of our strategy to focus activities on certain areas in order to support the continuous expansion of our operations and collaborations in the UK.”
> But the Palestine campaigners said the decision is a victory for them.
> A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “Occupations of the site have caused weeks of forced factory closure and have cost millions in damages to the company.
> “Direct action works: the brave individuals who occupied the factory over the past year can proudly say that drone technologies are no longer in production in Oldham.”
> The group said the sale of the factory “is most likely due to the impossibility of continuing at the often-occupied site, the massive financial impact of occupations and an attempt to avoid more bad publicity.”
> The first action taken in Oldham by Palestine Action, in late August 2020, involved spraying the premises in blood-red paint, symbolising the Palestinian bloodshed made possible with Elbit Ferranti technologies.
> As reported in the Morning Star, activists have blockaded the factory, “locking on” to gates and blocking off roads leading to the site.
> Activists have also occupied the building itself by breaking in and clambering onto the roof.
> Such actions have lasted up to 12 hours, causing substantial losses to the firm, campaigners say.
> Thirty-six people have been arrested during the Elbit occupations in Oldham.
> The sale still leaves Elbit UK with 10 sites in Britain, employing over 500 people engaged in high-tech and specialist manufacturing activities for military and civilian uses.
> Other Elbit factories have also been targeted in protests and occupations, including at Shenstone in Staffordshire
[Theres a bit more to it than that](https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/s0ndan/victory_in_oldham_elbit_forced_to_sell_ferranti/hs2tjs5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3).
Pretty much all that’s changing is the name on the factory doors.
> Direct action works
That’s why they’re not covering it in mainstream media; the narrative is very much that we should fit into the ideas they have about how society works, and direct action runs counter to that.
Also, it would embarrass them over their stance that climate change can’t be dealt with by individual reduction of consumption, that we should all keep shopping and consuming expensive culture to have a lifestyle they can chatter about while we wait for the heroes to make the bad thing go away.
The idea that, if we care, we can do something to change the world that isn’t from a scene in a romcom or a hero movie, is anathema to them, as it stops them being important people in the social network.
And then there’s their bafflingly guilt-ridden approach to Anglo-Israeli relations, their fear of being called racist by anyone because they aren’t sure that they aren’t, best demonstrated by David Baddiel being the champion of how to deal with racism and bullying, despite his many years being a high profile racist and bully of people on the TV in the 90s.
Still, this is great news, thanks for posting it.