Protestors target BAE Systems in Glasgow over arms sent to Israel
Campaigners are protesting outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire
STV News
Posted inGlasgow City
Protestors have blocked the entrance to BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow as part of a UK-wide action targeting the company’s sites across the UK.
Campaigners against military arms being sent to Israel are protesting outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire.
Organisers said more than 1,000 workers and trade unionists took part at BAE Systems sites, as well as the London offices of the Business and Trade department.
In Glasgow, banners reading ‘Stop Arming Genocide’ and ‘This Factory Arms Genocide’ were displayed by campaigners blocking the gate to the factory. Police were also present.
Demonstrators chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “up, up with liberation, down, down with occupation”
Speaking in Glasgow demonstrator Jamie – who did not wish to give a surname, said: “Our fundamental aim is for the UK Government to introduce an arms embargo, it’s the morally right thing to do.
“It’s vital that action is taken, it’s been almost seven months of death and destruction in Palestine and the idea that that is being committed by weapons that are being produced in our neighbourhoods is horrifying.
“Our long term goal is an arms embargo from the government but our short term aim here today is to just disrupt business as usual for BAE, to disrupt the manufacture, to cost them time, cost them money and slow down the trade of weapons to Israel.”
A BAE Systems spokesperson said: “The ongoing violence in the Middle East is having a devastating impact on civilians in the region and we hope the parties involved find a way to end the violence as soon as possible.
“We respect everyone’s right to protest peacefully. We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment.”
The protests initially caused traffic delays in Glasgow but all roads in the area were later reported to be clear.
Campaigners are protesting outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire
STV News
Banners reading 'Stop Arming Genocide' and 'This Factory Arms Genocide' were displayed by campaigners
STV News
Posted inGlasgow City
Protestors have blocked the entrance to BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow as part of a UK-wide action targeting the company’s sites across the UK.
Campaigners against military arms being sent to Israel are protesting outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire.
Organisers said more than 1,000 workers and trade unionists took part at BAE Systems sites, as well as the London offices of the Business and Trade department.
In Glasgow, banners reading ‘Stop Arming Genocide’ and ‘This Factory Arms Genocide’ were displayed by campaigners blocking the gate to the factory. Police were also present.
Demonstrators chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “up, up with liberation, down, down with occupation”
Speaking in Glasgow demonstrator Jamie – who did not wish to give a surname, said: “Our fundamental aim is for the UK Government to introduce an arms embargo, it’s the morally right thing to do.
“It’s vital that action is taken, it’s been almost seven months of death and destruction in Palestine and the idea that that is being committed by weapons that are being produced in our neighbourhoods is horrifying.
“Our long term goal is an arms embargo from the government but our short term aim here today is to just disrupt business as usual for BAE, to disrupt the manufacture, to cost them time, cost them money and slow down the trade of weapons to Israel.”
A BAE Systems spokesperson said: “The ongoing violence in the Middle East is having a devastating impact on civilians in the region and we hope the parties involved find a way to end the violence as soon as possible.
“We respect everyone’s right to protest peacefully. We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment.”
The protests initially caused traffic delays in Glasgow but all roads in the area were later reported to be clear.
UK Business Department Blockaded in Protest at Arms Exports to Israel
An arms embargo from below.
by Polly Smythe
1 May 2024
Activists blockading the Department for Business and Trade on Wednesday morning.
Polly Smythe
Hundreds of activists have blockaded the Department for Business and Trade to protest the government’s refusal to suspend the sale of UK arms to Israel.
Activists organising under the banner of Workers for a Free Palestine blocked the entrance to the department, which grants export licences for the sale of British weapons to Israel, on Wednesday morning. Civil servants were blocked from entering the department and police were deployed to disperse the activists.
The action is part of a coordinated May Day blockade, with protesters also shutting down three arms factories across the UK.
Tania, an organiser for Workers for a Free Palestine, said: “If arms company bosses and Britain’s political elite won’t impose an arms embargo, we, the workers, will enforce it from below.”
“British workers are enforcing an embargo through direct action,” an organiser said, describing the action as a “people’s arms embargo”.
While Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Belgium have suspended the sale of arms to Israel, the British government has refused to halt weapons supplies.
Civil servants who oversee arms export licences have requested to “cease work immediately”, over concerns that they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents civil servants, is considering taking legal action against the government “to prevent members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.”
PCS head of bargaining Paul O’Connor said: “We believe that the UK government has an obligation to do all it can to halt the onslaught. As it does not appear to be willing to do so, we are seriously considering taking legal action to prevent our members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.”
Hundreds of activists have blockaded the Department for Business and Trade to protest the government’s refusal to suspend the sale of UK arms to Israel.
Activists organising under the banner of Workers for a Free Palestine blocked the entrance to the department, which grants export licences for the sale of British weapons to Israel, on Wednesday morning. Civil servants were blocked from entering the department and police were deployed to disperse the activists.
The action is part of a coordinated May Day blockade, with protesters also shutting down three arms factories across the UK.
Tania, an organiser for Workers for a Free Palestine, said: “If arms company bosses and Britain’s political elite won’t impose an arms embargo, we, the workers, will enforce it from below.”
“British workers are enforcing an embargo through direct action,” an organiser said, describing the action as a “people’s arms embargo”.
While Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Belgium have suspended the sale of arms to Israel, the British government has refused to halt weapons supplies.
Civil servants who oversee arms export licences have requested to “cease work immediately”, over concerns that they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents civil servants, is considering taking legal action against the government “to prevent members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.”
PCS head of bargaining Paul O’Connor said: “We believe that the UK government has an obligation to do all it can to halt the onslaught. As it does not appear to be willing to do so, we are seriously considering taking legal action to prevent our members from being forced to carry out unlawful acts.”
Activists blockading the Department for Business and Trade on Wednesday morning. Polly SmytheThree arms factories across the UK were also blockaded by Workers for a Free Palestine protestors. All three sites – BAE Systems at Samlesbury Aerodrome in Lancashire, BAE Govan in Glasgow, and BAE Glascoed in Wales – produce components for F-35 stealth combat aircrafts, which are currently being used by Israel in its bombardment of Gaza. Activists reported that no vehicles were entering or exiting the sites.
Jamie, 32, who works at a Scottish university and took place in the action in Glasgow, said: “Even though the First Minister has said he supports an arms embargo, Scotland is still part of the chain of killing. And with Scottish arms companies having over 1000 secret talks with Westminster since 2012, we need action.”
The May Day action comes in response to a call from the Palestinian Federation of Trade Unions for the international labour movement to “disrupt the flow of commerce and trade that sustains Israel’s military occupation.”
In a statement, the federation said: “As the ones directly affected by arms manufactured and moved internationally, we simply ask you to embrace the principle that an injury to one is truly an injury to all.”
The blockade comes days after news that the high court will hear a legal challenge later this year against the government, for granting export licences for the sale of British weapons to Israel.
Lawyers for the groups behind the legal action – Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organisation, and Global Legal Action Network – argue there is a “clear risk” that the weapons “might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.
Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, said: “The government’s decision to continue supplying Israel with weapons to continue its military aggression against men, women and children in Gaza is effectively arming Israel to completely decimate the Gaza Strip, reducing Gaza’s vital civilian infrastructure to rubble.”
Polly Smythe is Novara Media’s labour movement correspondent.
Further protests at UK factories over military arms being sent to Israel
Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Govan (Andrew Milligan/PA)
By Alan Jones,
Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Govan (Andrew Milligan/PA)
By Alan Jones,
PA Industrial Correspondent
Today
More protests have been held outside factories across the UK by campaigners against military arms being sent to Israel.
Organisers said more than 1,000 workers and trade unionists demonstrated outside BAE Systems sites, as well as the London offices of the Business and Trade department.
They said the aim was to show solidarity with Palestinian workers.
The Workers for a Free Palestine group said it was escalating its tactics by targeting BAE Systems and the Government department on the same day.
Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Samlesbury, Lancashire (Peter Byrne/PA)
Members of the group protested outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire.
Tania, a trade unionist and organiser for Workers for a Free Palestine taking part in the London protest – who did not want to give her full name, said: “Our movement forced the issue of an arms embargo onto the table and polling shows the majority of the British public want to see arms sales to Israel banned, yet the Government and also the Labour Party continue to ignore the will of the people.
“The Government has sought to play down the scale of its arms supplies to Israel, but the reality is UK arms and military support play a vital role in the Israeli war machine, and evidence that three British aid workers were killed by a drone partly produced in the UK shows the extent of British complicity in Israel’s genocide.”
Today’s protests were the latest in a series of demonstrations outside factories in recent months.
More protests have been held outside factories across the UK by campaigners against military arms being sent to Israel.
Organisers said more than 1,000 workers and trade unionists demonstrated outside BAE Systems sites, as well as the London offices of the Business and Trade department.
They said the aim was to show solidarity with Palestinian workers.
The Workers for a Free Palestine group said it was escalating its tactics by targeting BAE Systems and the Government department on the same day.
Protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Samlesbury, Lancashire (Peter Byrne/PA)
Members of the group protested outside factories in Glasgow, South Wales and Lancashire.
Tania, a trade unionist and organiser for Workers for a Free Palestine taking part in the London protest – who did not want to give her full name, said: “Our movement forced the issue of an arms embargo onto the table and polling shows the majority of the British public want to see arms sales to Israel banned, yet the Government and also the Labour Party continue to ignore the will of the people.
“The Government has sought to play down the scale of its arms supplies to Israel, but the reality is UK arms and military support play a vital role in the Israeli war machine, and evidence that three British aid workers were killed by a drone partly produced in the UK shows the extent of British complicity in Israel’s genocide.”
Today’s protests were the latest in a series of demonstrations outside factories in recent months.
Activists shut down BAE Systems in Govan in latest protest over arms sales to Israel
Gabriel McKay
Wed, 1 May 2024
Protestors blockade the BAE factory in Govan, Glasgow (Image: Andrew Millian/PA Wire)
Activists have once again blockaded the BAE Systems factory in Glasgow as they protest the ties between the UK and Israeli arms industries and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The plant in Govan is producing Type 26 Frigate ships for the Royal Navy, which will be fitted with armour developed by Israel after construction.
The company itself is the UK's leading military manufacturer, and makes 15% of the components for the F-35 stealth bombers.
Israel has taken delivery of 39 of the jets and ordered 75, with the aircraft deployed in the ongoing offensive on the Gaza strip.
Since the commencement of hostilities more than 30,000 people have been killed in the occupied territory, with ceasefire talks ongoing.
Read More:
Gaza priest says Palestinians living in ‘hell’ as he makes ceasefire plea
Yousaf: UK may be complicit in Gaza deaths if arms exports to Israel continue
World Central Kitchen and the dangers of delivering aid in a war-torn country
There have been calls for the UK government to halt the sale of arms to Israel, particularly in light of the ongoing case at the International Court of Justice where the country has been accused by South Africa of genocide.
The ICJ issued six provisional measures in the case, including that Israel must must take all measures to prevent acts which could be considered genocidal, ensure its military does not commit genocidal acts, prevent and punish any public comments that could be considered enticement to commit genocide, take measures to ensure humanitarian access, and prevent any destruction of evidence that could be used in a genocide case.
On May Day, which is traditionally a holiday for workers and trade unionists, groups across the UK are blockading arms factories, including the BAE plant in Govan.
The Herald:
Jamie, 32, who works at a Scottish university said: "Even though the First Minister has said he supports an arms embargo, Scotland is still part of the chain of killing.
"With Scottish arms companies having over 1000 secret talks with Westminster since 2012, we need action. That's why we are doing the embargo ourselves, bringing Scottish solidarity to the people of Palestine who have suffered uncountable horrors and humiliation in 75 years of occupation."
Justine, 39, an education worker and trade unionist from Glasgow, said: "We have seen workers across the UK participating in solidarity actions with Palestine, including donating money, time and resources, building relationships and taking direct action.
"On this May Day we are thinking particularly of our fellow workers in Palestine whose lives are maimed by the Occupation and the current genocide. Shutting down arms factories for even a day of business doesn't just show our disgust - it damages the profits of bosses and shareholders, while the workers still get a full day's pay."
Ali, 25, a junior doctor, said: "Targeting the arms trade in the UK has already been effective - protests and direct action against Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems in England has forced it to close and sell its factory in Staffordshire. We’re here to make sure that there’s no business as usual for those who sell arms to genocidal regimes."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.55am on Wednesday, 1 May 2024, police were called to a report of a demonstration outside the grounds of a business premises on Govan Road, Govan, Glasgow.
"Officers remain at the scene."
Gabriel McKay
Wed, 1 May 2024
Protestors blockade the BAE factory in Govan, Glasgow (Image: Andrew Millian/PA Wire)
Activists have once again blockaded the BAE Systems factory in Glasgow as they protest the ties between the UK and Israeli arms industries and call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The plant in Govan is producing Type 26 Frigate ships for the Royal Navy, which will be fitted with armour developed by Israel after construction.
The company itself is the UK's leading military manufacturer, and makes 15% of the components for the F-35 stealth bombers.
Israel has taken delivery of 39 of the jets and ordered 75, with the aircraft deployed in the ongoing offensive on the Gaza strip.
Since the commencement of hostilities more than 30,000 people have been killed in the occupied territory, with ceasefire talks ongoing.
Read More:
Gaza priest says Palestinians living in ‘hell’ as he makes ceasefire plea
Yousaf: UK may be complicit in Gaza deaths if arms exports to Israel continue
World Central Kitchen and the dangers of delivering aid in a war-torn country
There have been calls for the UK government to halt the sale of arms to Israel, particularly in light of the ongoing case at the International Court of Justice where the country has been accused by South Africa of genocide.
The ICJ issued six provisional measures in the case, including that Israel must must take all measures to prevent acts which could be considered genocidal, ensure its military does not commit genocidal acts, prevent and punish any public comments that could be considered enticement to commit genocide, take measures to ensure humanitarian access, and prevent any destruction of evidence that could be used in a genocide case.
On May Day, which is traditionally a holiday for workers and trade unionists, groups across the UK are blockading arms factories, including the BAE plant in Govan.
The Herald:
Jamie, 32, who works at a Scottish university said: "Even though the First Minister has said he supports an arms embargo, Scotland is still part of the chain of killing.
"With Scottish arms companies having over 1000 secret talks with Westminster since 2012, we need action. That's why we are doing the embargo ourselves, bringing Scottish solidarity to the people of Palestine who have suffered uncountable horrors and humiliation in 75 years of occupation."
Justine, 39, an education worker and trade unionist from Glasgow, said: "We have seen workers across the UK participating in solidarity actions with Palestine, including donating money, time and resources, building relationships and taking direct action.
"On this May Day we are thinking particularly of our fellow workers in Palestine whose lives are maimed by the Occupation and the current genocide. Shutting down arms factories for even a day of business doesn't just show our disgust - it damages the profits of bosses and shareholders, while the workers still get a full day's pay."
Ali, 25, a junior doctor, said: "Targeting the arms trade in the UK has already been effective - protests and direct action against Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems in England has forced it to close and sell its factory in Staffordshire. We’re here to make sure that there’s no business as usual for those who sell arms to genocidal regimes."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.55am on Wednesday, 1 May 2024, police were called to a report of a demonstration outside the grounds of a business premises on Govan Road, Govan, Glasgow.
"Officers remain at the scene."
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