SCOTLAND
Officer bitten on arm in pro-Palestinian protests at arms factory
Jordan Young
A police officer attempts to remove a pro-Palestine campaigner - Andrew Milligan
A campaigner lies on the road during the protest - Andrew Milligan
Dozens of police officers arrived to break the line, unlinking protesters who had set up directly in front of the turnstiles at the site entrance.
Protesters, many masked and wearing keffiyehs, were seen being loaded into police vehicles and removed from the site.
Individuals refusing to move were restrained by officers and wrestled to the floor before being detained.
Smaller groups of activists attempted to prevent police vehicles leaving the premises by linking arms and encircling them.
Pro-Palestinian campaigners surround a police vehicle
As officers jostled to clear a way for the vehicles, the chain of protesters chanted: “Let them go” and pressed to keep the circle unbroken.
Protesters claim parts manufactured on the Govan site have been sold to the Israeli military.
During the demonstration, they unfurled banners bearing the messages: “Stop arming Israel!”, “This factory arms genocide” and “Workers for Palestine”.
Protesters hold banners reading 'Stop Arming Israel' outside the factory - Andrew Milligan
Police Scotland confirmed that three men aged 18, 28 and 29, and a 21-year-old woman were arrested and charged during the demonstration.
Chief Inspector Derrick Johnston said: “We have a legal duty to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest as well as those affected by protest activity. However, officers were met with an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance today.
“One of our officers was bitten. Assaults are not part of the job and will not be tolerated, and we were fortunately able to arrest the individual responsible.
Thales, a French multinational company that designs and develops technology for the defence industry, insists that claims the site supplies the Israeli military are false.
Company says site does not supply Israel
A spokesman for Thales told The Telegraph that the factory in Glasgow produces specialist technology such as periscopes for use by the Royal Navy and British Army but is not involved in manufacturing drones.
Last week, arrests were made after similar protests at the U-TacS factory in Leicester, a joint venture between Thales and Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence contractor, which does manufacture drones.
However, Thales said the Watchkeeper X drones produced at the plant are used solely for reconnaissance by the British Army and that the Leicester site does not supply Israeli forces.
In an earlier statement, Thales said of the protests: “While those outside our site in Glasgow have the right to protest peacefully, we will work with authorities to prosecute anyone who threatens our employees, our property or our important work for the UK Armed Forces.”
Police officer bitten and five others injured at pro-Palestinian demoJordan Young
TELEGRAPH
Wed, May 15, 2024
Pro-Palestine campaigners scuffle with police during a protest outside the Thales factory in Govan - Andrew Milligan
A police officer was bitten on the arm and four people were arrested as pro-Palestinian activists shut down a military technology factory in Glasgow.
Six officers were injured during the protests on Wednesday morning, during which Police Scotland said it was met with “an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance”.
Violence broke out after demonstrators at the Thales factory in Govan linked arms to block the entrance to the building.
Wed, May 15, 2024
Pro-Palestine campaigners scuffle with police during a protest outside the Thales factory in Govan - Andrew Milligan
A police officer was bitten on the arm and four people were arrested as pro-Palestinian activists shut down a military technology factory in Glasgow.
Six officers were injured during the protests on Wednesday morning, during which Police Scotland said it was met with “an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance”.
Violence broke out after demonstrators at the Thales factory in Govan linked arms to block the entrance to the building.
A police officer attempts to remove a pro-Palestine campaigner - Andrew Milligan
A campaigner lies on the road during the protest - Andrew Milligan
Dozens of police officers arrived to break the line, unlinking protesters who had set up directly in front of the turnstiles at the site entrance.
Protesters, many masked and wearing keffiyehs, were seen being loaded into police vehicles and removed from the site.
Individuals refusing to move were restrained by officers and wrestled to the floor before being detained.
Smaller groups of activists attempted to prevent police vehicles leaving the premises by linking arms and encircling them.
Pro-Palestinian campaigners surround a police vehicle
As officers jostled to clear a way for the vehicles, the chain of protesters chanted: “Let them go” and pressed to keep the circle unbroken.
Protesters claim parts manufactured on the Govan site have been sold to the Israeli military.
During the demonstration, they unfurled banners bearing the messages: “Stop arming Israel!”, “This factory arms genocide” and “Workers for Palestine”.
Protesters hold banners reading 'Stop Arming Israel' outside the factory - Andrew Milligan
Police Scotland confirmed that three men aged 18, 28 and 29, and a 21-year-old woman were arrested and charged during the demonstration.
Chief Inspector Derrick Johnston said: “We have a legal duty to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest as well as those affected by protest activity. However, officers were met with an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance today.
“One of our officers was bitten. Assaults are not part of the job and will not be tolerated, and we were fortunately able to arrest the individual responsible.
Thales, a French multinational company that designs and develops technology for the defence industry, insists that claims the site supplies the Israeli military are false.
Company says site does not supply Israel
A spokesman for Thales told The Telegraph that the factory in Glasgow produces specialist technology such as periscopes for use by the Royal Navy and British Army but is not involved in manufacturing drones.
Last week, arrests were made after similar protests at the U-TacS factory in Leicester, a joint venture between Thales and Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence contractor, which does manufacture drones.
However, Thales said the Watchkeeper X drones produced at the plant are used solely for reconnaissance by the British Army and that the Leicester site does not supply Israeli forces.
In an earlier statement, Thales said of the protests: “While those outside our site in Glasgow have the right to protest peacefully, we will work with authorities to prosecute anyone who threatens our employees, our property or our important work for the UK Armed Forces.”
BBC
Wed, May 15, 2024
Police Scotland said a number of arrests were made outside the Glasgow factory [BBC]
Six police officers have been injured - including one who was bitten on the arm - at a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside a Glasgow defence equipment factory
Up to 50 protesters blocked the Govan entrance to the Thales site, a company that produces parts for Israeli drones, early on Wednesday.
They were calling for the the UK to end arms exports to Israel and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Four demonstrators - three men aged 18, 28 and 29, and a 21-year-old woman - were arrested and charged during what appeared to be minor disturbances.
The protesters later moved away from the factory entrance and continued their demonstration further down the street.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been demonstrating outside the Thales factory in Govan [BBC]
Two of the officers were treated at hospital. One was discharged after treatment but the other was kept in for further assessment.
Ch Insp Derrick Johnston said: “We have a legal duty to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest as well as those affected by protest activity, however officers were met with an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance today.
“One of our officers was bitten, assaults are not part of the job and will not be tolerated, and we were fortunately able to arrest the individual responsible.
“When policing any protest our priorities are to ensure the safety of protesters, the public and police officers involved as well as preventing criminal behaviour or disorder and deescalating tensions.
“We are committed to protecting the rights of people who wish to protest, however when this is not done peacefully, officers are required to maintain public order and will exercise their powers of arrest if necessary.”
Police made a number of arrests outside the factory gates [BBC]
Thales' parent company is involved in producing the Watchkeeper drone with Israeli defence company Elbit Systems.
UK foreign secretary Lord Cameron has so far ruled out halting arms sales to Israel.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Lord Cameron said such a move would only strengthen Hamas.
He said while he would not support a major ground offensive in the Gazan city of Rafah, the UK would not copy US plans to stop some arms sales.
The UK government does not directly sell arms to Israel but grants licenses to weapons companies based on legal advice.
In contrast, the US uses a less restrictive government-to-government deals to sell arms.
On Wednesday it emerged the White House has told Congress it wants to send more than $1bn (£800m) in new weapons to Israel.
The country launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group's cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.
More than 35,170 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 82 in the past 24 hours, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
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