London Indymedia

Israeli Owned Agrexco Warehouse Shut Down

shutdownagrexco | 21.06.2008 19:16 | Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco | Palestine | London

In the early houses of Saturday morning, activists occupied and shut-down the HQ and only UK frefight warehouse of Carmel Agrexco - Israel's largest agricultural exporter form the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The occupation held for over 6 hours until they were forcibly removed at 12 noon.

Early in the morning activists occupied and shut down operations at the Carmel Agrexco warehouse near Heathrow Airport by D-locking themselves to gates and to a lorrywithin the compound. Two activsts locked to a vehicle barrier, one to a truck and one to a main gate. Others climbed on top of the truck to further immobilise any loading or unloading work, and suspended banners. The Israeli flag that usually flies over the Carmel compound was removed and replaced with a black flag in mourning for Gaza.

During the occupation we sent away over 10 loading trucks intended for the warehouse. British supermarkets - accounting for 60% of Carmel-Agrexco's total exports - will have had their orders affected. The Israeli government has a 50% stake in the company. Exports include flowers, avocados and herbs grown in illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

Israeli security guards threatened and physically attacked activists repeatedly throughout the occupation. Collusion between the police and the company was apparent througout the day. While ignoring the security guard assaults the police chose instead to drag the protestors supporters away from the scene.

Yet again, the police made no arrests after the action. When asked why the sergeant said that the order came from 'higher up.' We can only assume that the company does not want an embarassing court case in which they would have to disclose information on their illegal business.

Agrexco's harvesting and sale of goods from illegal settlements built in Occupied Territories has been enabled by eviction, murder and theft of resources - considered "war crimes" under the International Criminal Courts Act 2001. As such, Agrexco's business of importing fresh produce is "unlawful business".

Tom Hayes said 'Agrexco is responsible for human rights crimes against the Palestinian people. The British supermarkets which buy produce from Agrexco are also complicit. Handling stolen goods is an offence whether the offender is a supermarket or an agribusiness. Agrexco must by held liable for its "unlawful business".'

The action was timed to commemorate 60 years since the Palestinian 'Nakba' (Catastrophe) - the theft of Palestinian land, masssacres, expulsions and creation of over 700,000 refugees with the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

Many of the activists participating have spent time living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and witnessed first hand extra judicial killings, collective punishment and wilful damage of land, property and infrastructure.

shutdownagrexco

Additions

Photo of action

22.06.2008 20:53

Lock onto security gate and on top of lorry
Lock onto security gate and on top of lorry

Sorry this is late, I've been having trouble uploading photos, so here just one for now

avo


More photos

22.06.2008 20:56

Agrexco employee discovers yet another d locked gate
Agrexco employee discovers yet another d locked gate

Banner drop on lorry
Banner drop on lorry

A couple more.....

avo


Quick time video of police getting a wee assey

22.06.2008 21:10

After those who were d-locked onto various industrial appendages, the cops dragged people away from the main gate, while two other activists continued to sit atop the lorry. I have another quicktime video (that is unfortunately too large to upload) of employees getting violent while the police casually observed. oh, and the video was shot on a digital camera, so no sound....

avo


Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

Be careful with the language there...

22.06.2008 01:39

"Israeli owned"? Do you boycott everything "British-owned"? Should we boycott the Israeli anarchists? If Carmel fund the zionist project then tell us about it, if you want to take action on zionist companies tell us about it. but lets not get into racist language

careful


The Language is fine

22.06.2008 13:12

It doesnt say "Israeli owned", it says "The Israeli government has a 50% stake in the company." These activists have no qualms with Israelis as a people or if you wish, a 'race', but with those who are complicit in war crimes and violence to the Palestinian people, hence stating "The Israeli government".

Arf


Racist language?

22.06.2008 14:51

The title clearly says "Israeli owned" - however the suggestion that that is racist is just laughable - the protest was against the actions of the Israeli state, which owns a 50% share in the company. It was also against the importation of fresh produce which is grown on land that was stolen from the Palestinians at gunpoint.

The racism in the picture is the enforced aparthied conditions that Palestinians have lived under for 60 or 40 years.

Israel is not a race


excellent work again

23.06.2008 09:30

I was part of the original blockade back in what, 05 or 04? Its great to see that this is going on again and again, and i wish i could spend some time on it again. The first trial went on over 2 years and that wouldn't be possible with my job now.

If they have stopped arresting peopel (and we all know why that is) just get more audacious with the action! Evade arrest for as long as possible so that you shut the place down for longer, or do rolling blockades so that when one team is cleared off site another arrives after the cops have left.

As to the person asking about the language - no, just no. There is nothing wrong with the use of 'Israeli'. This action has the support of israelis anyway, as does the economic boycott. We know, we've met them.

L&S


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