New Hampshire Judge: Elbit Systems Is A Victim (And, Incidentally, My Supervisor)

Screen grab from WHDH coverage March 22 inside the police station in Merrimack 

The remaining seven defendants of eight arrested for criminal trespass at Elbit Systems in Merrimack, New Hampshire were arraigned yesterday in district court. Original conditions of bail noted on their paperwork when they were released from custody March 22 were to avoid excessive drinking (?!) and stay away from Elbit in Merrimack. 

When Bruce Gagnon was arraigned April 2, the prosecutor asked the judge to also ban him from an Elbit facility in Massachusetts. The judge declined, saying it was outside his jurisdiction.

Yesterday's judge, Mark Derby, decided that not only is Massachusetts within his jurisdiction, but so is the whole U.S. of A! Now, my husband and the other six defendants have as a condition of bail the need to stay away from Elbit facilities anywhere in the country. (My husband: What about in England?)

Yesterday, defendants who appeared in court pointed out that this violated the prior precedent and prior statements about being outside the NH court's jurisdiction, but Judge Derby responded: "That other judge from April 2 is not my supervisor!" 

My comment: Maybe not, but apparently Elbit Systems is.

Another fun quote from prosecutor Jason Moore and re-stated by the judge: "Elbit Systems has been the victim of these protests in numerous states. If Elbit Systems was a human being, we would want to protect them in other states too, not just New Hampshire."

Screen grab from ABC News

This is the kind of twisted logic where attackers are victims, and any protest of the aggressors is coded in the corporate press as "antisemitic". Cue the reporting on the allegedly enormous rise in antisemitic incidents since October 2023. Note to journalists: many of those involved in, for example, occupying Columbia University yesterday to call for divestment from companies like Elbit that profit from Israel's genocide in Palestine, are themselves Jewish. This is also true of Elbit protesters from Maine.

The defendants will be back in court on June 6 at 9:30am for a Trial Management Conference i.e. disposition hearing. This is where the court determines if a deal has been reached between prosecutors and defendants, and if not issues the orders to proceed to trial on another day.

Since several people I love were arrested blocking access for a day to the alleged victim, the biggest genocide profiteer on the planet, I've been subscribing to the NH Union Leader newspaper. And their daily email allows me to check their top headlines.

Yesterday's arraignment did not make the cut, however, I found this item to be interesting. Resistance is everywhere! 

Senate ships Defend the Guard bill off to study

Guard adjutant general warned N.H. could lose $400 million in federal aid if legislation blocking deployment of his troops in an undeclared war passes.

By Kevin Landrigan

Union Leader Staff

CONCORD — The state Senate on Thursday summarily sidelined a controversial bill that would have prevented the deployment of New Hampshire Army or Air National Guard troops to serve in combat during undeclared wars.

Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities had warned that passage of the Defend the Guard Act (HB 229) could have put nearly $400 million in federal grants at risk.

After no debate, the Senate shipped the bill off to interim study by voice vote.

Even if senators chose to work on the legislation, the move means it would have to start over as a new bill in 2025.

Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, DManchester, said the testimony of many deployed veterans, frustrated about being sent to different military theaters, made an impression on him.

“These men and women are being deployed all over the world, and they are not very happy campers,” D’Allesandro said. “To me it’s a clear indication that our armed forces are dependent on the Guard, and these folks are wondering why we’re always having to be deployed.”

The State Veterans Advisory Committee, Deputy Adj. Gen. Warren Perry and Mikolaities convinced the Senate that the agency could ill afford to have this bill become law, he said.

“The Guard is performing a critical mission for our country, so anything that could threaten financial support for it has to be of great concern,” D’Allesandro said. “The guard becomes even more critical as the traditional armed forces continue to fall short of meeting their goals for recruitment of soldiers. It’s a huge problem.”

The bill was authored by Rep. Tom Mannion, R-Pelham, a Marine Corps veteran twice deployed into combat during the war in Iraq.

“It’s a massive disappointment that the Republican-majority Senate voted against their own party platform by quietly killing Defend the Guard,” Mannion said.

“They have chosen to continue with the status quo of sending the men and women of our state’s guard unit into overseas combat, instead of pushing back against the war machine in D.C. and making Congress do its constitutional duty.” If reelected, Mannion vowed, he will return with his bill next year.

“New Hampshire has a strong history of opposing the forever wars in the Middle East, and the voters will make their displeasure known this fall,” Mannion said.

After the vote, Senate President Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, said he understood the passion behind this measure.

“Some folks have quite frankly gotten sick and tired of endless wars, but defunding the national guard is not the appropriate response,” said the former congressman.

The legislation was first brought forward in early 2023.

Squeaked through House

Rep. Michael Moffett, R-Loudon, who chairs the House State-Federal Relations and Veteran Affairs Committee, said he was opposed to the measure at first, “but many veterans turned out who were very passionate about this issue and I felt I had to respond to that,” Moffett said.

“Our military has been used too often in the name of national security.”[emphasis mine]

Keep reading

 

 

The Elbit Factory Shutdown Heard Round The World

This Insta post from yesterday used imagery from the Merrimack protest to invite more resistance to the loathsome Elbit Systems. If you're in Cambridge on Tuesday, why not join in their canvas?

More information has come to light about the successful shutdown on Friday of Israel's Elbit Systems weapons factory in Merrimack, New Hampshire. Multiple people experienced violence at the hands of police, especially bomb squad police who were inexplicably called in for a reported total of 70 cops to deal with seven peaceful protesters blocking the driveway.

My favorite quote from mainstream media coverage is when reporter Steve Cooper says on camera: "Police tell us they had no idea these protesters from Maine were coming to town this morning." My favorite quote from a protester, spoken on camera by Yenni: "We will continue to resist until Palestine is free."

Screenshot from WHDH coverage inside the Merrimack jail facility where some protesters heard police making inappropriate sexual remarks to female-presenting arrestees.

The first cop to arrive on the scene made a huge strategic blunder in terms of his focus in those crucial first moments. He went for the low-hanging fruit of an eighth arrest, a decision that affected the whole rest of the day.

I have now heard medical details of the worst of the injuries inflicted by police, including broken bones and dislocated shoulders. What quickly emerged for me is that the people in the blockade experienced traumatic, painful events over the course of several hours while the others who'd come to observe and support were blocked from knowing anything. The two groups have had to put their heads together after the fact to piece together what actually went down.

I've also now seen a copy of the Merrimack Police Department's press release about our protest. An interesting detail it reveals is that there was already a Merrimack PD officer in the guard booth when protesters arrived at dawn. (Do Merrimack tax payers know about this fascistic deployment?) Neither he nor the Elbit Systems rent-a-cop seemed to be terribly bright because they also both made snap decisions exhibiting poor judgment about responding to protesters' coordination and teamwork.

More mainstream media coverage has emerged also, including some that throw around inaccurate pejorative terms like antisemitic, or focus on the cost to turn out 70 "first responders" (an unnecessary expense in my estimation). I won't share those but I will share that the protest made news worldwide, including a mention sent to me by a supporter in Maine:

Other press hits worth sharing (just don't believe everything you read e.g. chainsaws? really?):

https://www.wcvb.com/article/pro-palestine-protest-elbit-america-facility-merrimack-nh/60278938

https://www.wmtw.com/article/elbit-systems-merrimack-protest-israel-gaza-32224/60283330

https://nhjournal.com/seven-arrested-as-anti-israel-protests-return-to-elbit-facility-in-merrimack/

https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/merrimack-police-arrest-eight-pro-palestiian-protesters-blocking-the-entrance-and-exit-to-an-israeli/article_0ac91750-e88c-11ee-a30a-ebe5fa9680e1.html

https://patch.com/new-hampshire/merrimack/protestestor-chained-car-several-tires-block-entrance-elbit

Also, coverage from WHDH  was updated to include post arrest interviews with a few of the protesters, including my husband who reminded us of the reasons to shut down Elbit on behalf of Palestinians suffering horribly from Israel's violence (trigger warning: cold blooded murder).

Finally, here's a handy interactive map for those inspired to #ShutElbitDown wherever we find them. 

We are many, and we inspire each other.

Police Brutality At Elbit Systems Lockdown For Palestine In NH

Yesterday eight people were arrested blockading the main entrance to Elbit Systems in Merrimack, New Hampshire. 

Supporters on the scene were forced off the Elbit driveway onto the side of the public highway, and law enforcement deliberately blocked the ability of the group to monitor their activity -- including blocking trained legal observers and medics who were present.

My husband Mark Roman reported that he had locked into a modified car but had police roughly remove the folding chair he was using and then a kneeling pad a supporter provided. This forced Mark and another friend into stress positions as you can see above where they could neither stand up fully nor sit down, and that friend's arm was injured as a result.

Mark also told me he saw police yanking on the arms of other protesters who were locked into devices that held two people, and that bruising of their wrists several hours later was observed. 

The police response was both overwhelming and inept: bomb squad, state police, local police, and county sheriffs used x-ray machines, helicopters, and possibly drones (although the drones spotted may have belonged to journalists covering the event) as well as saws and other tools.

Our friend Bruce Gagnon was arrested very early in the action and placed in a squad car where he listened to the police radio for an hour and a half as they scrambled to deploy. The first officer on the scene had arrested Bruce almost immediately, ignoring the lockdown in progress. Bruce was performing his role as liaison to private security guards (there were two of them in a booth that is new since protesters targeted Elbit back in November) letting them know that the action was a non-violent protest of Elbit's role profiting from Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Bruce was charged with resisting arrest although he did no such thing and at least one witness can attest to this. 

The female officer who eventually drove him back to the station was insulting and combative, clearly holding a grudge about the protest in November, and made sure he sat in a cold cell while stripped down to just one thin layer of clothing. Then he had a long political discussion with a booking officer who treated him like a human being and who said at one point, It sounds like we look at different media sources for information. Ya think?

Everyone I've spoken to so far was charged with both criminal trespass and resisting arrest.  Arraignment dates vary but all are in April, and legal support has been secured.

There was a great media person on site with the group Healthcare Workers for Palestine, and you can see some of their livestreaming here and here. 

Mainstream media also turned out in droves and I know the following list of coverage is incomplete as there will definitely be more today. For now though, check out:

https://www.wmur.com/article/several-arrests-made-at-protest-targeting-israeli-contractor-in-merrimack/60279623

https://www.wmur.com/article/elbit-systems-merrimack-protest-israel-gaza-32224/60278992

https://whdh.com/news/multiple-arrests-at-pro-palestinian-protest-in-nh/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/pro-palestine-group-blocks-road-to-military-manufacturers-facility/ar-BB1kmnJp

Yasmin Alani gave my favorite interview of the day, to a WMUR reporter on the scene, and you owe it to yourself to watch the video:

She said her conscience dictated that she be there.

"I have a thousand places that I need to be today rather than be here, but you know, someone has to do this," she said.

Yasmin's son Yusuf explained why he felt compelled to shut down access to Elbit in Merrimack:

Elbit makes 85% of Israel's drones and land vehicles, and this particular plant in Merrimack has a long history of working on surveillance technology  / 'Israeli border security', reflecting its direct involvement in decades of Israeli occupation and apartheid.

The plant also received a multimillion dollar contract in 2023 to make Improved Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems, which are helmet displays for fighter jet pilots to help them murder more Palestinians.

 Yesterday's action was part of an ongoing campaign STOP ARMING GENOCIDE.

ERRATA: Edited to reflect the correct number arrested (8 not 9).