Support My Legal Battle Against Elbit
Support My Legal Battle Against Elbit
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Latest: April 20, 2023
Elbit9 trial in Bristol is postponed. Possibly until 2024..
THE TRIAL HAS BEEN POSTPONED!
Dear Friends,
Here is a quick update on the #Elbit9 trial in Bristol.
First off, thank you for all the good wishes for the trial. Even though we are very much looking forwa…
Read moreOn Nakba Day, May 15th 2022, I took part in an action against Elbit Systems HQ in Bristol along with other activists. As a result, nine of us were arrested. I was imprisoned for a month and only released under strict bail conditions, currently awaiting trial.
A year earlier I also participated in an action at Elbit's Oldham factory, a facility which has been shut down six months later. I now have two upcoming crown court cases.
Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private arms company manufacturing anything from bullets to drones and even cluster munitions and white phosphorus which have been illegally used in civilian areas, such as the besieged and densely populated Gaza Strip. Its weapons are manufactured, tested and perfected in close cooperation with the Israeli army using Palestinians as their test subjects. These weapons are a key element in the racial domination and oppression over Palestinians, while also being sold as "battle tested" to numerous oppressive and despotic regimes across the world.
Elbit Systems manufactures over 85% of the killer drones which are heavily used by the Israeli military to control, terrorize and murder civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip. They use Elbit's killing machines specifically in order to maintain that illegal siege and the ongoing Nakba, denying Gaza residents - the vast majority of which are refugees - their right to return home.
"Confronting Apartheid: A critical discussion", The Hague, 11 April 2019:
Up until recently, Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries had 10 sites operating in the UK. Over the past year, 2 of these facilities have been permanently shut down. This is most likely the result of sustained protests by conscientious citizens.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to receive legal aid and am therefore required to fully cover my legal defence which amounts to £50,000. This amount is beyond my reach, which is why I depend on your generous help here. I am represented by Kellys Solicitors and Garden Court Chambers who are already in the midst of preparatory work and attending court hearings, while expenses have started to pile up.
"Please join me in helping my friend Ronnie Barkan and all the other Palestine Action heroes. They are helping us open our eyes to the dystopia that we live in. And expose its deadly entrails. Entrails like the warmongering Israel armaments company Elbit Systems.
More power to you Ronnie, hang in there.
Love
R."
- Roger Waters, 6 Aug. 2022
Your donations are greatly appreciated. Sharing on social media and with your friends and family would also be of great help in spreading the word about the fundraiser.
Thank you so much, r.
Clarifying financial matters:
All the money raised on this platform goes directly to Kellys Solicitors/Garden Court Chambers to cover my legal defence.
One trial is set for April 2023 and the other's date is yet to be fixed, but the legal preparatory work and court attendances have already started and so expenses have also started piling up.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any further questions: fightapartheid@proton.me
Abolish apartheid, free Palestine.
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Ronnie Barkan
April 20, 2023
Elbit9 trial in Bristol is postponed. Possibly until 2024..
THE TRIAL HAS BEEN POSTPONED!
Dear Friends,
Here is a quick update on the #Elbit9 trial in Bristol.
First off, thank you for all the good wishes for the trial. Even though we are very much looking forward for our day in court, this day has been pushed back.
On May 2nd there will be 2-3 days of legal argumentation at the Bristol Crown Court where our attendance is required. This is the initial stage of the trial, only then will the judge set a date for holding the actual jury trial and it seems that this may be set as far as 2024. Indeed, it is very annoying and I will only be able to update on the new date during the hearing of early May.
On the bright side - the strict bail conditions, including house arrest for two of us, have been lifted yesterday. After almost a year we are finally allowed to make contact among the co-defendants, while Stav and myself are no longer tagged and are free to travel and carry on with our lives.
https://twitter.com/BrightonBDS/status/1647161939045552132
The planned trial should be an interesting one and as mentioned above I am looking forward to it and to putting Elbit on trial!
The trial has been postponed but is still very much ongoing, so this Crowdjustice campaign is more relevant than ever. Please carry on sharing it among your contacts.
Trial updates will first appear on my twitter feed @ronnie_barkan before being posted elsewhere, so please stay tuned for that.
#ElbitIsGuilty!
#ShutElbitDown!
Thank you!
ronnie
Ronnie Barkan
April 13, 2023
Elbit9 is going to court!
Dear Friends,
Next week we will be going to court and putting Elbit on trial.
On Monday, April 17th, nine activists will appear before the Bristol Crown Court for the actions against Elbit Systems headquarters in Bristol, which took place on Nakba Day last year - May 15th 2022.
The Nakba is not merely a historical event, it is an ongoing process that has been continuing, day and night, for the past 75 years. Maintaining the ongoing Nakba, maintaining the criminal and barbaric siege of Gaza, committing The Crime of Apartheid and what experts deem to be The Crime of Genocide, these are some of the crimes that Elbit Systems is actively engaged in. Their role in these crimes is not by proxy but an active one, with its own people perpetrating the crime alongside Israeli armed forces.
[This video was taken outside Southwark Crown Court on the evening before the #Kingsway5 were acquitted of all wrongdoing]
The trial will be an important one and I am looking forward to it. Key issues should be discussed, some significant witnesses are scheduled to appear, while two of the defendants also happen to be Israeli dissidents.
In the coming days and weeks I will be sharing with you further updates, depending on legal considerations. Other than publishing here, you are invited to follow the developments on my twitter feed @ronnie_barkan, on @Pal_action's or twitter search for the #Elbit9 hashtag.
Before ending this update I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your help with my legal defense.
With your help we have managed to raise a large part of my legal fees and I can now focus on the trial rather than its financial cost as I am being denied legal aid. I am deeply grateful for your generosity and solidarity!
As you may know, Roger Waters has kindly offered to match any donations 1:1 up to an amount of $20,000. So please help me spread the word, perhaps we can still reach $30,000.
Until equality and return,
Ronnie
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Ronnie Barkan
Sept. 15, 2022
Roger Waters to Match Your Donations!
Dear Friends,
I've got some exciting news to share with you.
Roger Waters, the rock legend and all-round extraordinary human being, has generously offered to MATCH ANY DONATION to my legal fund up to $20,000.
I am extremely grateful to Roger and to all of you who have been donating and simply request that you spread the news so that others can take advantage of Roger’s offer to help fight against the Israeli death machine and end its seven decades of ongoing crimes against humanity.
This is not just about me, but about all the fine folks at Palestine Action. Please take the time to educate, share and support the #ElbitEight in their trial which is set for October 10th at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Finally, I cannot end without also acknowledging the 40th anniversary to the Sabra and Shatila massacre, which we mark today. The extent of Israeli involvement, including the heavy arms trade and military training that was supplied to the perpetrators of the massacre has recently been uncovered. To save the victims of the next massacre - Israel's ongoing Nakba and crimes against humanity must be stopped.
We will not be silent.
Thank you.
Ronnie Barkan
Aug. 11, 2022
We crossed the 5K mark - thank you!
Dear friends,
We have crossed the 5K mark within 3 days and I can't thank you enough for your generous donations to my legal defence. The process I am forced to go through is quite challenging, not to mention the strict bail conditions, but knowing that I am not alone during this process and that there are people like you who care and support truly makes it easier and motivates me to push forward with the struggle.
Frankly, I am looking forward for the trial and I'm sure that it'll be an interesting one, it's the time in between that is the most challenging. If you happen to be in the UK then please mark your diaries for April 17th, 2023, when the trial commences (another has not been set yet).
Since the needed amount is far away and since apartheid has not yet been abolished, I hope that you may help in spreading the word about my campaign, about Palestine Action's work and about Elbit Systems' and Israel's seven decades of ongoing crimes against humanity. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any question or comment at: fightapartheid@proton.me
Thanks again to each and every one of you.
ronnie
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Some example tweets for this fundraiser:
https://twitter.com/ronnie_barkan/status/1556672782708137984
https://twitter.com/Pal_action/status/1557383435886419968
https://twitter.com/swilkinsonbc/status/1556693236906852359
An article from today in Czech (google translate or wait a bit for the English version):
https://a2larm.cz/2022/08/skupina-palestine-action-protestuje-proti-zbrojni-firme-britsky-parlament-kvuli-ni-projednava-novy-zakon/
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