Pro-Palestine activists claim to have shut down Boston arms company that supplies Israel

Pro-Palestine activists claim they have shut down a Boston arms company that supplies Israel.

Palestine Action US posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleging it has “completely halted” the business of Elbit Systems in Boston.

Video footage posted on social media appears to show activists from the group Palestine Action protesting outside the headquarters of Elbit Systems in Boston.

Protesters could be heard chanting “Elbit Systems has got to go”. Some protesters could also be heard telling officers “You’re defending genocide of children”, and calling them “f***ing pigs” as police shouted “get back”.

The protesters then began chanting “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” as officers appeared to restrain a protestor and lead them away.

Protesters could also be heard shouting “Free, free Palestine”.

Nine arrests have been made, according to Palestine Action, after protesters broke through barricades protecting the building and blocked the entrance.

The group also claimed multiple protesters were pepper sprayed by Cambridge PD.

Cambridge PD and Elbit Systems have been contacted for comment.

Elbit Systems, an Israel-based international defence electronics company, is the largest weapons supplier to Israel.

The company’s American subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, has operational facilities in Texas, New Hampshire, Alabama, Virginia and Florida, according to the company’s website.

It comes after Palestine Action activists threw red paint and blockaded the entrance to Elbit’s Boston facility earlier in the month.

The group claims Elbit Systems “arm the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 people and taking 200 hostage across the Gaza border.

Since then, Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in the death of over 8,000 Palestinians.

The Israeli government ordered the “complete siege” of Gaza as authorities cut off electricity and blocked the entry of food and fuel.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered all Gaza civilians to leave the area and head southward — a command that the United Nations said is “impossible” to carry out.

Over the weekend, Israel widened its air and ground assault, cutting all telecommunications in the city, leaving millions of residents without power or means of contact.

International humanitarian organisations said the blackout, which began late on Friday, was worsening an already desperate situation by impeding life-saving operations and preventing contact with their staff on the ground.

Aid organisations also said the blackout caused citizens in Gaza to be unable to call ambulances.