Shenstone factory protests endangering the lives of British military personnel, Lichfield MP says

Protests at a Shenstone factory are endangering the lives of British service personnel, Lichfield’s MP has said.

Members of Palestine Action returned to the UAV Engines Ltd site on Lynn Lane once more this week.

The group say the site makes parts for Elbit Systems drones used by the Israeli military.

But Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant said the actions were “childish”.

“The ignorance of the so called Palestine Action group who have once again intimidated local workers at the UAV Engines site at Shenstone is breathtaking.

“They claim to have ‘taken aim’ at Elbit’s Shenstone factory, because ‘UAV Engines Ltd manufacture engines for Israeli drones’ – they do not.

“The Israeli company have their own factories in Israel which manufacture engines for the Israel Air Force and Army.

“The Shenstone factory provide equipment for the British Armed Forces for the defence of our islands and for the operation of British forces overseas. 

“The childish actions of the Palestine Action Group endangers the lives of British servicemen and is a nuisance to local people in the area.”

Michael Fabricant

This week’s actions by five members of the Palestine Action group is the latest in a string of protests carried out at the site.

Mr Fabricant said police needed to do more to prevent the continued disruption.

“Both Chris Pincher, who represents Shenstone, and I have been in contact with the local police commander in Lichfield saying they should take tough measures against this small group of demonstrators to deter them from future action. 

“I am not convinced the police action is as robust as I would like.”

Michael Fabricant

But a spokesperson for Palestine Action said Mr Fabricant’s views were wide of the mark.

“An earlier comment from Michael Fabricant claimed Israel needed military components from Stafford in order to fight ‘terrorism’. Now, he’s attempting to deny they sell any parts to Israel, despite export licenses proving otherwise.

“Elbit’s operations – both exporting weapons and developing weapons for British forces – facilitates the continuation of the colonisation of Palestine

“The MP’s call for more robust action from the police shows the willingness of our political establishment to protect Israel’s weapons factories. In response, we call for more robust direct action to shut Elbit down.

“A judge agreed that our actions were a proportional response, leading to the acquittal of three activists who took action against the Shenstone factory.

“To date, no one has been convicted for taking action against Elbit.”

Palestine Action spokesperson