Action Taken Against BNY Mellon in Solidarity with Palestine!
On Dec. 11 the 2nd Street entrance to Bank of New York Mellon's (BNY Mellon) offices was turned into an art piece highlighting their support of the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This was done in solidarity with the ongoing resistance to the Israeli occupation, and to help mark the General Strike called for by Palestinians in response to the U.S. vetoing the U.N. security council resolution to stop the war on Gaza.
BNY Mellon is an American bank that supports the Israeli & U.S. led genocide in Palestine in two major ways: 1) They are a primary funder of Elbit Systems*, the largest weapons manufacturer for Israel; 2) they help facilitate U.S. money transfers in support of the IDF through a charitable gift fund titled “Friends of the IDF** Donor Advised Fund.” BNY Mellon is on the 24th floor of the building that is host to many other offices. The building occupants should know what their neighbors are doing – they should know about BNY Mellon's complicity in the murder of Palestinian people.
Numerous international companies have divested from Elbit stock noting their contribution to violations of international humanitarian law. In contrast, over the last few years BNY Mellon has continued to increase their holdings (including since October 7th) to a total of 68,000 shares valued at $13 million. This is direct profiteering from genocide.
This is a call to target all institutions that are implicated in and/or profiting from the murder of children and the ongoing colonization. These offices and the individuals who run them*** are already drenched with the blood of Palestinians – make it visible. Hold demonstrations, marches, vigils, and clandestine visits until the demands for their divestment from Elbit Systems and the permanent removal of the “Friends of the IDF Donor Advised Fund” from their services are met.
This was done in solidarity with the more than 18,000 Gazan's murdered since Oct. 7th, and all Palestinians resisting Israeli oppression.
This was done in solidarity with the thousands of Armenians from Artsakh that have been murdered and displaced from their homeland by the Azerbaijani regime in 2023 and before.
This was done in solidarity with all who have taken action to disrupt BNY Mellon, Elbit and it's subsidiaries, and any genocide profiteers around the world.
GLORY TO THE MARTYRS
LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA
PALESTINE WILL BE FREE
*Elbit systems is an Israeli-based military technology company that is the primary provider of Israel's land-based equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's), amounting to 85% of the equipment used by the IDF and Israeli Air Force. There is also clear evidence linking Elbit's technologies to war crimes committed by other colonial and oppressive regimes including Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
While there are many weapons manufacturers involved in the Palestinian genocide, Elbit is a uniquely grotesque enabler of violence. Of particular note is their eagerness to live-test new weapons technologies on Palestinian people as a mode of advertising their weapons of horror to other apartheid regimes including India, Azerbaijan, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Iceland, the E.U., Mexico, Switzerland and Thailand (on October 22nd, 2023 the Israeli army released footage of a newly piloted precision-guided 120mm mortar bomb called the “Iron Sting” being tested against Palestinians).
There has been a recent surge in efforts to hold Elbit accountable for their crimes against humanity. Direct actions taken by individuals and groups across the U.K. and U.S. have included the occupation of factories and offices, direct dismantling of the weapons during production, and the targeting of subsidiaries, funders, and any other companies that enable their work. These efforts are noble and inspiring, recently leading to Elbit's U.K. branch's sole recruitment company – iO Associates – ending it's association with the company.
**The Friends of the IDF is a non-profit, fundraising arm of the Israeli Occupational Force. Their mission is to raise extra funds from private donors in the US in support of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians. In other words, they facilitate zionists in the US investing personally in the weapons and personnel that are murdering Palestinian people and stealing Palestinian land. People from the Bay Area may remember the November 5th “Friends of the IDF Gala” that was hosted by this organization in San Carlos and protested by community members – BNY Mellon is one of a small number of U.S. banks that advertises services to facilitate the transfer of the funds raised at that gala to Israel.
***Christopher Brown is the Northern California branch market president :)