4th Woman Arrested On Riot, Mischief, Other Charges After Merrimack Pro-Palestine Incident

MERRIMACK, NH — A fourth woman, accused of being involved in a riot at an Israeli-owned defense contractor in November 2023, has been arrested on felony charges.

Merrimack police arrested Paige M. Belanger, 32, of East Road in Alford, Massachusetts, on Wednesday on riot, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and destroy ETC real-personal property charges. Her arrest on a warrant comes after two months of investigating the Nov. 20, 2023, siege and riot by pro-Palestine activists at Elbit Systems Inc. on the Daniel Webster Highway, an Israeli defense contractor.

Also Read

• 9 Arrested After Police Assaulted During Protest Outside Israeli Defense Contractor In Cambridge
• Pro-Palestine Protesters Face Riot, Sabotage Charges; Pols Denounce
• Accused NH Rioters Arraigned, 2 Given $20K Bail Due To Prior Arrests
• Local GOP Lawmakers Greet Elbit Employees, Denounce Anti-Israel Attack
• Protestors March To Elbit Systems In Merrimack For Peaceful Protest
• Hate Crimes Talk Worries Communist Millionaire Funding Anti-Israel Protests

Belanger was accused of being a fourth person involved in the incident. Sophie Marika Ross, 22, of North Plain Road in Housatonic, MA, Cala Mairead Walsh, 19, of Decatur St. in Cambridge, MA, and Bridget Irene Shergalis, 27, of Whetstone Mills in Dayville, Connecticut, were all charged with riot, sabotage, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and disorderly conduct at Elbit after police were sent to the business just before 8 a.m. for a report of protesters blocking the driveway and at least four people accessing the roof of the building and caused damage.

Smoke bombs were also lit off from the roof of the building, which sent Merrimack fire and rescue teams to the scene. When police arrived, Chief Brian Levesque said, they encountered pro-Palestine protesters blocking the road.

“They eventually vacated the roadway and allowed responding officers to access the property,” he said. “Upon meeting with security personnel, officers discovered the front of the building had been spray painted with red paint, windows had been smashed, and at least one of the main lobby doors had been locked shut via a bicycle anti-theft device.”

Officers accessed the roof after hearing at least four people were causing “significant damage” to doors, windows, and other property at the business.

“Through an extensive investigation,” Levesque said, “Belanger was identified as one of the individuals causing the damage.”

Belanger was processed and held on preventative detention. She was arraigned in Merrimack District Court on Thursday and released on $5,000 cash bail.

Levesque said the incident is still an open investigation, with police being assisted by the attorney general’s office and the FBI. He said investigators are working to identify “any and all coconspirators.”

The protesters, a part of Palestinian Action USA, are reportedly being bankrolled by James “Fergie” Chambers, a communist worth hundreds of millions of dollars due to being born into the Cox media family.

The attorney general’s office is considering civil rights charges against the women as a possible hate crime violation.

Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact the Merrimack Police Department at 603-424-3774 or to report anonymously through Merrimack Crimeline at 603-424-2424.

Do you have a news tip? Email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.