Charleston pro-Palestine organizer wins not guilty verdict

Charleston, SC – On September 15, an organizer with the Elbit Out Of South Carolina Coalition, Matt Colburn, appeared in court on a charge of “damaging or tampering with a vehicle.” The charge stemmed from an alleged incident on Thursday, August 7, during which time the Coalition was engaged in their weekly picket outside of the local Elbit Systems Facility in Ladson, South Carolina.

Elbit Systems America is a subsidiary of Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems, and this facility is its “Ground Combat Vehicle Center of Excellence,” where they produce the SIGMA Next-Generation 150 mm Mobile Tactical Cannon for the Israeli military to use against Palestinians. The facility transported its first shipment of Howitzers to Israel this summer out of a military base in North Carolina.

The Elbit Out Of South Carolina Coalition is made up of local progressive organizations in the Lowcountry including Charleston Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Charleston DSA, Free Palestine Charleston and the Lowcountry Action Committee as well as numerous unaffiliated volunteers. They have been organizing to shut the Elbit factory down for over a year now.

Among the coalition’s strategies and tactics is a weekly picket in front of the factory. Coalition members also educate passersby with informational handouts and community meeting invitations at the intersection directly in front of the facility. At the August 7 picket, Colburn was arrested for allegedly hitting the roof of an Elbit employee’s car with the pole of a handheld Palestinian flag. He spent the night in Al Cannon Detention Center, which has been in the news lately for a slew of inmate deaths, and was present in court for the charge, facing up to 30 days in jail.

On one side of the court room sat the Elbit employee and two Elbit security guards, all of whom admitted to being paid to be in court. On the other sat Colburn, his legal team working pro bono and dozens of supporters donning keffiyehs. “We aren’t being paid to be here like the prosecution’s side, we’re here purely out of solidarity,” said one of those present.

The judge issued a not guilty verdict before the defense even called its first witness as the charge required both “proof of intent” to damage the vehicle and evidence of actual damage, neither of which were ever presented by the arresting officer, let alone proven.

The coalition was aware of the baselessness of the charges and made use of the trial for a fact-finding mission. Colburn and his team plead not guilty to allow Colburn’s lawyer to cross examine the arresting officer, the security personnel who served as witnesses for the prosecution and the employee making the allegation. “We knew the charges were bogus,” said Gillian Bergeron, an organizer with the coalition. “They’re trying to tie us up with anything they have. But since we had them under oath we decided to use this opportunity to get some intel.”

The coalition walked away from the trial with new information on the Elbit facility. Most importantly, they received figures on how much Elbit is paying uniformed off duty North Charleston Police (NCPD) officers to serve as private security: $60 per hour.

The coalition has long talked of collusion between NCPD and the Elbit facility. “The police are being paid by a private weapons manufacturer to use state power to silence us,” said coalition member Alfred Peeler. “These cops have refused to give us their badge numbers, refused to file police reports when employees hit us with cars, allowed employees to break the law flagrantly by driving recklessly and covering their license plates.” He went on to say, “they have lied on official police reports and are now arresting our organizers on bogus charges that are being thrown out of court because they are so ridiculous.”

The coalition has been regularly attending Charleston County council meetings to push back against a “fee in lieu of taxation” agreement Elbit signed with the county, effectively giving the weapons manufacturer upwards of $10 million in tax breaks over the next two decades. Elbit Out Of South Carolina Coalition now intends to take the fight to North Charleston city council as well to fight the collusion between NCPD and Elbit Systems.

“The struggle will continue until Elbit is shut down and Palestine is free. So join our coalition and join us on the picket line. We are showing Elbit when we fight, we win. We are winning, Elbit knows it, and this verdict shows that they are desperate,” said Colburn. “We will not be intimidated by these genocide profiteers setting up shop in our community.”

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