Merrimack Police arrest eight pro-Palestiian protesters blocking the entrance and exit to an Israeli defense contractor

Roberta Baker, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read

Mar. 22—Eight protesters — seven from New England and one from California — were arrested Friday after they blocked the entrance and exit to Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense contractor, in an ongoing protest against the war in Gaza.

The protesters were charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest and ordered to appear in Merrimack District Court in April, according to Merrimack police.

Those charged include Bruce Gagnon, 71, of Brunswick, Maine; Yusef Ebrahim, 27, of Portland, Maine; Mark Roman, 76, of Solon, Maine; Yennifer Fish, 35, of Westbrook, Maine; Janet Mathison, 32, of Crestline, California; Yunzhu Pan, 23, of Somerville, Mass.; Paige Thomas, 30, of Biddeford, Maine; and Paige Milligan, 34, of Portland, Maine.

Police reported that protesters arrived in vehicles, one of which blocked the entrance. Two protesters outside secured their arms with one inside. A second group of four blocked the exit, attached by chains and weighted tires.

More protesters arrived on foot, forming a line that blocked the entrances and exits to the defense contractor, at 220 Daniel Webster Highway. Surrounding law enforcement agencies came to assist, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department and the Special Operations Unit of the State Police.

Merrimack Police reported that the protesters were separated from the devices they were secured to after several hours, ultimately taken into custody, then released on personal recognizance. Gagnon was ordered to appear in court on April 2. The others are scheduled for April 18.

Lisa Savage of Solon, Maine, a spokesperson for the activists who did not attend Friday's protest, said protesters blocked the building's entrance and exits for more than three hours. She said the protest attracted a larger group of supporters, including some from New Hampshire.

"This was a nonviolent protest," Savage said Friday afternoon.

She said it was a "completely different group" than the one that caused severe damage to the Elbit Systems building in November 2023, when police reported extensive damage to the front of the building, including broken windows and red spray paint on the building's signs, windows and outside walls. The spray-painted messages in that incident included "Free Gaza," "Elbit Kills," "Genocide Profiteers" and "Shut Elbit down," according to police.

Savage said the group of pro-Palestinian activists belong to a loose network that includes perhaps 100 active members in New England, including people of Palestinian descent, Muslims, Jews and recent refugees from Africa.

"We want an immediate cease-fire in Gaza" and don't want U.S. taxpayer dollars to support Israel's war effort, Savage said. The activists seek to stop weapons manufacturers from "arming the Gaza genocide," Savage said.

She said the group plans to stage protests in New England until that goal is reached, regardless of the number of protesters who are arrested.