Unity of Fields, formerly known as Palestine Action US, is an American Palestinian solidarity organization. It began as the United States branch of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian protest network targeting Israeli weapons manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Its earliest known activities began in February 2023, and it began protests in October following the outbreak of the Gaza war. Similar to Palestine Action, the group led a global campaign against Israel-based defense electronics company Elbit Systems.[1][2]
In 2024, the group changed its name to Unity of Fields and announced that it would change its focus to actively spreading “militant propaganda” against the United States. It was subsequently suspended from social media platforms.[3]
Background
Palestine Action is a United Kingdom-based protest movement founded in 2020 when members targeted the UK headquarters of Elbit.[4] The group mobilized during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis and has carried out protests since.[5]
The network's earliest known activities began in May 2023, when the group supported an event in the US House about the Nakba.[6]
On October 20, activists in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, protested General Dynamics. General Dynamics did not respond to questions about its involvement in the war, but said it supported activists' rights to protest.[8]
On October 30, activists vandalized and protested at the Boston office of Elbit, stating they shut it down. The group said 9 arrests were made by the Cambridge police.[1][2]
On November 6, activists vandalized the Virginia office of Elbit.[9]
On November 17, activists blocked entrances to BNY Mellon, targeted for its investments in Elbit. The NYPD broke up the protests and took 20 people into custody.[10]
In October 2024 Unity of Fields publicized acts of vandalism at Harvard and other universities, without claiming responsibility.[11]
Merrimack 4
On November 20, 2023, activists vandalized and blocked an Elbit office in Merrimack, New Hampshire. They occupied the roof of the building and were arrested.[12][13][14] They were arraigned the following day and condemned by both parties.[15][16] The network wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that one was released and the other two had bail set at $20,000.[17] The activists were initially charged with Class B felonies by Attorney General of New HampshireJohn Formella. [18] However, the felony charges were later dropped and the actionists pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal mischief and criminal trespass. They served 60 days in jail as a result. [19]
Name change
In August 2024 the group announced on social media that it was becoming a "militant propaganda" group called Unity of Fields, in a post saying that it was necessary “to open a new front against the US empire.”[3] The phrase "Unity of Fields" refers to unity between different anti-Israel actors.[3][20] The group's Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts were suspended after this post.[3]
