Four women have each been sentenced to two months in jail in New Hampshire, after pleading guilty in September to charges of misdemeanor criminal mischief and criminal trespass following their November 20, 2023 direct action to disrupt production at Elbit Systems in Merrimack. Elbit is notoriously Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, with factories and offices across both Great Britain and the United States being a focus of anti-war protest and direct action. During the November action, supporters had blocked the entry road before the morning shift arrived. Sophie Ross, Bridget Shergalis and Calla Walsh approached the Elbit factory, chained the doors shut, broke windows, marked graffiti and ascended to the roof of the building. Standing on the roof, they poured red paint down the front wall and held aloft colorful theatrical smoke flares that drew the attention of arriving workers to their protest.
The three were initially charged and released on bail, then later indicted on multiple felony charges, as was a fourth defendant, Paige Belanger. Belanger was arrested in January as police looked for co-conspirators. Months of negotiation with prosecutors through the summer led to a diversion from court and the agreement by all four to plead guilty to the lesser charges.
“Our action was to show solidarity with the people of Gaza in a material, not abstract, way – not to appeal to weapons factory workers or to the New Hampshire masses,” Walsh told a writer on substack.com. Belanger added, “Declaring solidarity without material support seemed performative at best, and counter-revolutionary at worst.”
The four took action under the name Palestine Action U.S., inspired by the British organization Palestine Action, which since 2020 has engaged in a series of direct actions intended to drive the company out of business. Palestine Action groups in Great Britain have repeatedly occupied Elbit arms factories and offices to disable facilities and equipment with hand tools and mark the war merchants with red paint and graffiti. Several sites have been shut down, and consequently 16 Palestine Action activists are now in prison, either denied bail until their trial, or serving sentences up to 14 months. For more information and prisoner addresses, visit palestineaction.org.
Support Action
The women are scheduled to begin serving their 60 days in jail on November 14. Letters of support should be individually addressed to Paige Belanger 68132, Sophie Ross 67969, Bridget Shergalis 67968, Calla Walsh 67970; Hillsborough County House of Corrections, 445 Willow St., Manchester, NH 03103.
