Palestine Action activists vandalise Tamworth warehouse to protest "Israeli state-terror"

Pro-Palestinian activists have staged a rooftop protest at a packaging factory in Tamworth, vandalising the building in protest at its supposed links with Israeli arms, they claim.

Daubing red paint across The Good Packing Company building, hoisting up banners and occupying the roof, four activists have been photographed spraying graffiti on the building, using sledgehammers to smash CCTV cameras and windows, and flying Palestinian flags from the roof of the factory premises.

The group claim to be occupying the roof the firm on Lichfield Road Industrial Estate because it “packages, transports and exports Israeli weapons”.

Palestine Action protesters mounted the roof of the Good Packing Company in Tamworth

According to the activists, they set out at dawn on Monday (8 August), wielding hammers and paint-filled fire extinguishers, and have engaged in “extensive damage” to the site.

Along with smashing windows and CCTV equipment, the group set off smoke flares and said they doused walls in “blood red paint as we dismantle a supply chain built on terror.”

According to the protesters, the company is involved with the “packing, transportation and exportation” of weapons produced by Elbit Systems – Israel’s largest private arms company – which has nine sites across Britain.

Activists doused red paint across the building in solidarity with Palestine

Sledgehammers were used to damage CCTV cameras at the factory

In a statement, Palestine Action stated: “Speak to any Gazan on the ground – they are shouting at the world, saying: ‘We don’t want your sympathy – we want action.’ And that’s exactly what we’re doing, targetting [sic] those complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people and unravelling Israel’s military chokehold on the region. Now more than ever we need immediate action for Gaza.”

The West Midlands protest action comes after Israeli forces launched what they described as “pre-emptive” raids on Palestinian enclave Gaza after arresting a senior member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The following bloody onslaught on Gaza from Friday (5 August) to Sunday (7 August) killed at least 45 Palestinians, including 16 children.

The three-day assault was the worst Israeli attack on Gaza since an 11-day war in 2021 which resulted in at least 260 people dead in Gaza and left 13 people dead in Israel.

“Gaza has spent three days and nights mourning the dead. Circling the skies, raining fire down below, are the drones and fighter jets of Elbit Systems – Israel’s largest arms company,” said a Palestine Action spokesperson.

A protester raises the Palestinian flag on the roof of the packaging warehouse

Windows were smashed at the building as part of the protest action

“Knowing that petitions, rallies and appeals to power will do nothing here in Britain, we’ve responded with direct action. We are currently occupying Elbit client ‘The Good Packing Company’, who package, transport and export Israeli weapons battle tested on the Palestinian people. The four activists’ rooftop occupation is ongoing, with extensive damage enacted and the activists set on staying as long as possible.

“Elbit combat drones account for a considerable 85% of Israel’s drone fleet. The Hermes 450 was pioneered by Elbit and has been used in attacks and surveillance in Gaza for years now.

“Their use ravages Gaza city, leaving Gazans with deep-seated trauma and anxieties from Israeli state-terror. Though Palestine Action target Elbit directly, the group also targets any firm in the killer supply chain.

“No impunity for Israel, nor for anyone involved in the massacres we have all witnessed. If you work with Elbit, we’re working against you too. When we know our own government won’t do it, the onus is on us to enforce a people-backed arms embargo on the Israeli occupation, using direct action.

Banners were dropped from the roof of the building by Palestine Action

“It’s crucial to remember that in Gaza, the economic blockade has stood for fifteen years – each year marked by deprivation and colonial warfare. Israel’s violence is everyday life for the average Gazan, and so the time is always right to take direct action in Gaza’s name, and cut military production in accomplice-Britain. We will unravel Britain’s Israeli arms industry.”

Specialist officers from Staffordshire Police force attended the scene of the warehouse disruption “to deal with reports of criminal damage on site.”

“We are currently in attendance at a business premises on Lichfield Road Industrial Estate in Tamworth following reports of the arrival of a small number of protestors. Some individuals have accessed the roof area.

“We are currently working to keep disruption to the community to a minimum and would like to thank those affected for their patience and cooperation.

“We are working to balance the rights of peaceful protestors and those individuals undertaking unlawful activities.

“Officers continue to work with partners to resolve the incident swiftly and safely.

“We will remain in the area to reassure local residents and nearby businesses.”

The Good Packing Company was approached for comment.