Organizers say today’s action is in solidarity with Atlanta’s struggle to stop Cop City following the Block Cop City direct action yesterday.
ATLANTA—This afternoon, direct action network Palestine Action US disrupted operations at Bank of New York Mellon’s Atlanta office on Northside Parkway. Organizers entered the the bank’s Buckhead Atlanta Wealth Management location with demands that they divest from Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapon provider.
Palestine Action US was formed in October shortly after Israel Defense Forces began to attack Palestine in genocidal war crimes. Today’s disruption, according to the group’s official press statement, was part of Palestine Action‘s international campaign to #ShutElbitDown. The action, they say, puts BNY Mellon on the map as an official target of the group’s #ShutElbitDown campaign.
Organizers arrived today at the location alongside press with unfurled banners and asked their messages and demands be delivered to corporate leadership. According to the actionists, BNY Mellon employees locked the door and immediately called local police, threatening arrests, after which they dispersed.
On Oct. 24, BNY Mellon Corp. disclosed ownership of nearly 68,000 shares of Elbit Systems Ltd., valued at $13 million. This disclosure reflects a nearly 22% share increase for BNY Mellon since early August.
“BNY Mellon claims to be committed to socially responsible investment, but invests over $13 million in genocide profiteer Elbit Systems,” says Palestine Action US in their official press statement, sent out this evening after the action. “Israel is using Elbit drones, bullets, technology, and internationally-banned white phosphorous to commit genocide against Palestine right now. BNY Mellon has been investing in Elbit since 2013 and on Oct. 24 disclosed a 22% share increase over the last quarter. The greater the suffering of Palestinians, the greater the profits for Elbit and BNY Mellon.”
BNY Mellon’s board includes members that worked with the Obama administration, the World Bank, General Dynamics, and Boeing. The bank also manages the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Donor Advised Fund, authorizing the bank to collect charitable, tax-exempt donations on behalf of Israel Occupation Forces.
“[BNY Mellon] is the only organization in the U.S. authorized to collect charitable, tax-exempt donations on behalf of IOF,” says Palestine Action US, adding that the bank is “the biggest enabler of private donations to the IOF in the world.”
Today’s direct action occurred on the heels of yesterday’s mass nonviolent direct action known as Block Cop City, wherein around 500 people marched on the proposed construction site of the $90-million police militarization facility. Protesters were met with police brutality that morning in a violent confrontation with police in a full riot line, where police deployed tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters.
Palestine Action says they participated in the Block Cop City action, adding, “We recognize the deep ties between the Zionist project and the U.S. police system—particularly in Georgia, where [Georgia State University’s] GILEE program sends police to occupied Palestine to be trained in racist and hyper-militarized surveillance and policing tactics. From Gaza to Atlanta, we understand our shared struggle for liberation.”
