LONDON: Police in the UK are holding six protesters arrested after they scaled the roof of a factory that Palestinian activists claim manufactures Israeli arms.
Protest organizers, Palestine Action group, said its members had been held more than 24 hours after the protest at the UAV Engines plant in the West Midlands of England, which is owned by Israeli company Elbit Systems UK.
Police said there had been “substantial damages” to the building during the protest on Tuesday.
Direct action is envisaging the future you want to see and turning it into a reality — we #ShutElbitDown | Palestine Action 4 – Elbit Systems nil pic.twitter.com/GWsHlxN0vd
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) February 23, 2021
The protesters drenched the building in red paint using fire extinguishers, and smashed windows. They were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and related offenses.
“Three men and three women have been detained and remain in police custody after officers brought the demonstration to a safe and peaceful conclusion at around 4:45 p.m. (on Tuesday),” Staffordshire police said in a statement reported by the Press Association.
The protest was the fourth in six months targeting the building. The organizers said they have targeted all 10 of their sites, including four arms factories, over 50 times since they launched the campaign.
Activists explain why it's important to take a stand against Israeli arms factory in Shenstone and put an end to the killing — #ShutElbitDown pic.twitter.com/LtvFC7HpHm
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) February 23, 2021
“This is part of a series of actions targeting Elbit Systems and we are not planning to stop until they are shut down for good,” Huda Ammori, co-founder of the UK-based Palestine Action told Arab News.
“Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest privately-owned arms company, making a killing from Israel’s attacks on Palestinian people and it’s biggest single customer is the Israeli Ministry of Defense,” Palestine Action says on its website.
Staffordshire police did not provide further details on the custody status of the protesters when contacted by Arab News.
Earlier this month, Palestine Action, along with Extinction Rebellion -- a global environmental movement, held a protest at the Elbit factory in Oldham, only days after the UK signed a £102 million investment deal with Elbit Systems to deliver a detect and destroy system for the British Army.
