It seems Palestine Action has got the attention of US president Donald Trump – but not in a good way, naturally. The tangerine tyrant has slammed the group for its ongoing campaign to disrupt Israel’s genocide and apartheid in Gaza and the Occupied Territories. If you’ve rattled Trump, you must be doing something right…
Donald Trump: Palestine Action got his attention…
On 8 March, Palestine Action responded to Donald Trump’s openly genocidal plan to depopulate Gaza, and his threats to murder the entire Palestinian population, by trashing his Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland.
As Palestine Action said at the time, “Palestine Action rejects Donald Trump’s treatment of Gaza as though it were his property to dispose of as he likes. To make that clear, we have shown him that his own property is not safe from acts of resistance. We will continue to take action against US-Israeli colonialism in the Palestinian homeland”.
Trump has now issued a statement via Truth Social:
I was just informed by Prime Minister Starmer of the United Kingdom, that they caught the terrorists who attacked the beautiful Turnberry, in Scotland. They did serious damage and will hopefully be treated harshly. The Three people who did this are in prison. You cannot let things like this attack happen, and I greatly appreciate the work of Prime Minister Starmer, and UK Law Enforcement.
For reference, three have been arrested in relation to the action, only one has been charged and will appear at Ayr Sheriff Court on Monday 31 March. The other two were released without charge.
Get your facts right
Palestine Action are issuing the following response:
Donald Trump, may not be able to get even the simplest of facts right, but his statement shows Keir Starmer’s ambition to be Trump’s supine lapdog, allowing him, and the Israeli state and arms companies, to interfere in the British judicial process, while supporting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. While Trump whines about his golf course, and Starmer consoles him, US-supplied bombs continue to pound Gaza to rubble, with the aim of the destruction of the entire Palestinian population. We look forward to the day both these murderers, and the other complicit Western leaders face justice.
Of course, the broader implication here is that Trump’s praising of Labour Party prime minister Keir Starmer and his increasingly authoritarian approach to policing legitimate protest should not go unnoticed. The government are proving to be just as dangerous in this regard as the Tories – and given Starmer’s boot licking of Trump, his praise will likely increase the clamp down on protest in the UK. We have literally just seen this, with the Met Police crackdown on Youth Demand.
Away from Trump, the campaign to stop Israel’s genocide continues
Meanwhile, in a bold act of direct action, activists from Palestine Action are occupying the rooftop of the Dean Group facility in Irlam, Manchester, this morning:
They’ve already smashed windows, solar panels and covered the premises in blood-red paint, symbolising the company’s involvement in spilling Palestinian blood:
The action follows one on 22 July 2024 in which activists entered the same Dean Group premises, dismantling machinery to prevent its collaboration with Israel’s war machine. Dean Group remains a critical partner to the production of sniper sights at Elbit Systems’ Instro Precision facility in Kent.
Elbit Systems, Israel’s larges weapons firm, relies upon Dean Group for its “investment casted” metals components, including for the Kent ‘Instro Precision’ factory which is the major exporter of weapons sights and targeting equipment arms to Israel from Britain. Dean Group materials have been identified during previous Palestine Action occupations of Instro Precision – occupations undertaken, like this one, to break the supply chains of murderous arms from Britain to Israel. The brutalisation of Gaza, and the occupation of Palestine, are made possible through Elbit’s array of military technologies.
As Dean Group say on their website, “So much from a military standpoint requires investment casting, including weapons, missiles, radar, and communications equipment”:
Palestine Action said:
Today, we are once again taking direct action against the Dean Group. Their role in supplying critical components to the Israeli military means they are directly involved in the oppression and killing of Palestinians. As long as these companies enable the production of weapons which are “tested” on Palestinians, we will continue to take action to disrupt their operations. The Dean Group is a key link in Israel’s military supply chain, and actions will continue until their collaboration ceases.
This occupation forms part of a growing wave of direct action targeting companies and institutions that enable Israel’s military-industrial complex. Palestine Action’s campaign aims to create an economic blockade on Israel’s military suppliers, ensuring that their profits are disrupted and their facilities face continuous resistance.
Featured image via the Canary and additional images supplied
