No regrets for peace activist drawing light on the military industrial complex

03/02/16

Peace activist Shane Anderson was fined $300 on Tuesday morning after being found guilty for trespassing on the Melbourne premises of Elbit Systems, a weapons manufacturer responsible for producing armed drones.

Anderson entered the premises and climbed onto the roof of an Elbit factory with 5 other activists in August 2014 to drop a banner reading “ELBIT DRONES KILL KIDS IN GAZA”.

The banner included the hashtag ‘BDS’, linking the protest to hundreds of others over the last 10 years in the worldwide Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement for recognition of the Palestinian state.

The choice to target Elbit at that particular time was due to its role of supplying Israel with drones during the devastating ‘Operation Protective Edge’ occurring between early July and late August 2014.

During ‘Operation Protective Edge’, 1,500 Gazans including 500 children were killed by Israeli shells and airstrikes, as well as thousands more injured, impoverished and displaced.

75% of Elbit Systems’ market is outside Israel, yet most of its products are ‘battle tested’ on the Gaza strip. Elbit’s profits are directly linked to the conflict; sales of Elbit drones increased in the months following Operation Protective Edge.

Anderson attempted to plead not guilty under the ‘necessity’ provision, arguing that it was reasonable for him to protest and join the international outcry regarding the conflict because of the immanent danger to thousands of Palestinians under Elbit drone strikes at the time.

The magistrate rejected Anderson’s argument as it was not reasonably necessary for him to trespass in order to generate attention and because the particular factory in Port Melbourne where the trespass occurred is not directly involved in launching the strikes.

The idea that a corporation has innocent hands in a conflict simply because they are not directly responsible for giving military commands is problematic. It is in the interest of Elbit Systems and other companies to maintain protracted conflict in the Middle East. While these corporations are given unrestrained access to the market, the scope for conflict resolution will necessarily be compromised.

Anderson thanked the court for the opportunity to reflect on the question of what direct and immediate effects his actions have in Palestine and said that he would carry that question into the future. He also said that he was not deterred from protesting because as a father he is compelled to act regarding the suffering of families.