Activists disrupt arms factories across the UK

Activists across the UK have disrupted arms factories. This comes a day after the storming of an arms industry dinner in response to hunger strike demands.

Actions at multiple arms factories

Today, 28 January, activists across the UK have disrupted multiple factories in a response to the ending of the hunger strike and a call to continue to shut down arms factories.

The disruption took place separately across Lancashire, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Combined, hundreds of activists took to the entrances of all factories, blocking access to the sites from as early as 5:00am. Workers at the sites were unable to gain access, some for an entire shift.

The increase in mobilising outside arms factories comes as the largest coordinated hunger strike in Britain has ended. In a final statement the hunger strikers continued the call to shut down all arms factories.

The factories targeted were BAE Systems in Samlesbury, near Preston, Leonardo in Edinburgh and Rafael in Newcastle. Groups from across the UK joined, travelling hours at a time to support the blockades.

Police used force against protesters in Lancashire, manhandling them off the entrances and violently moving people along. In Edinburgh, despite their best efforts, police could not break the human barricade of the protesters. See footage from Edinburgh here.

Arms dealers’ bunfight interrupted

On 27 January in London, swarms of campaigners targeted a luxury dinner attended by a number of arms dealers, leading to arrests of protesters. A focus on arms manufacturers has significantly increased as the last two and a half years have exposed the UK’s deep military relationship with Israel, including surveillance flights and monitoring that have been exposed by Declassified.

A statement from the BAE OUT Campaign (@baeoutcampaign) group said:

We have been regularly blockading the BAE Systems Samlesbury site for the past two years with over fifty activists at a time. The reason we do this is because of parts being made in this factory that are used on the F-35 fighter jet, the deadliest fighter jet known to mankind, used in Gaza and beyond.

The genocide is starting at our doorstep and we refuse to allow this to happen, this is why we are creating a full scale campaign to expose the arms industry for what it truly is, a merchant of death.

We know this is impacting them because we see the disproportionate police response as well as the workers themselves telling us it is causing a delay in production. Doing this on a regular basis means supply and production is being severely affected.

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