Yesterday's action was part of an ongoing campaign STOP ARMING GENOCIDE
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/elbit-systems-merrimack-protest-israel-gaza-32224/60278992
https://whdh.com/news/multiple-arrests-at-pro-palestinian-protest-in-nh/
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 [military] 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.
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