An anti-Israel group claims it chose to target a facility in Ontario due to its connections with Israel. The police are now treating this incident as a hate crime.
This past weekend, red paint was thrown onto a building in Peterborough that belongs to Geo Spectrum Technologies Inc., a company involved in making underwater acoustic systems. While the main office is located in Nova Scotia, there is also a site in Ontario.
The event took place overnight on Sunday, according to the Peterborough Police Service.
A local resident alerted officers about “red paint and writing” seen on the building. Upon arrival, police found damage on the exterior of the structure as well as on a communication box situated on the property.
A still image taken from a video by anti-Israel group Palestine Action Canada appears to show a masked person cutting wires at a Peterborough, Ont., facility that is owned by an Israeli company. Instagram
Authorities indicated that Geo Spectrum might have been singled out because it operates as a subsidiary of Elbit Systems. Elbit is known as an Israeli defense technology firm.
On Instagram, Palestine Action Canada accepted responsibility for the vandalism. A video shared on their account features a masked individual cutting wires in dim lighting while using a flashlight.
Additional footage shows another masked figure near the entrance of the building while someone else splashes red paint onto it, though that person remains off-camera.
<p“Palestine Action Canada targeted Geo Spectrum Technologies in Peterborough,” reads the caption accompanying the post.
Geo Spectrum’s location serves not only as “a design and testing facility for ‘maritime surveillance and exploration’ systems; it is also wholly owned by Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. No other company profits more from the genocide of Palestinians,” they stated.
The group further accused Canada of allegedly backing Geo Spectrum’s parent organization: “And our own settler-colonial state, so-called Canada, trades, buys, and invests in Elbit.”
“We will not stop until Palestine is free!” concluded their post.
A representative for Geo Spectrum confirmed to that they were aware of what occurred. “The appropriate authorities have been notified, and we are working with them as we assess the extent of the damage,” read their statement.
“We take employee safety and security seriously at our facilities. As we address this matter, we will provide more details once our assessment concludes.”
Palestine Action is recognized as a terrorist organization in Britain.
In May, B’nai Brith Canada called on the federal government to act against this group after it a map outlining locations deemed “targets” because of supposed ties to Israel. This map included various sites across Canada.
The group has also issued guidelines detailing how to engage in “direct action,” including advice for forming small groups aimed at causing property damage along with tips on avoiding law enforcement and destroying evidence related to criminal acts.
In America, sanctions were placed against this organization which has been linked by the U. S. Department of Treasury to several terrorism-related incidents since July 2020-some resulting in injuries among U. K. law enforcement officers and others aimed at intimidating legitimate businesses or pressuring the U. K. Government.”
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