Protesters block BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow
Campaigners have staged a blockade at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow in opposition to its ties to Israel.
The protest at the entrances to the defence firm's site in Govan has been organised by a local group alongside Workers for a Free Palestine.
The campaign group said it had also blockaded defence factories in Bournemouth, Brighton and Lancashire.
It is urging BAE Systems to end ties with Israel and cease all weapons, defence and supplies trading.
Protesters with Palestinian flags also said they wanted the UK Government to back a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
BAE Systems said it respects "everyone's right to protest peacefully".
The activists blocked one entrance to the BAE site with a large banner stating "Stop Arming Israel".
Police Scotland officers were in attendance at the demonstration.
Protester Bint Sanna, who did not want to give her real name, told BBC Scotland News the group wanted to "put a stop to UK government support for Israel".
She added: "They are supporting them to commit genocide to kill thousands of innocent children, thousands of innocent women and men and destroying homes."
Another campaigner, Hex, said he travelled from Edinburgh to attend after a call to action from Palestinian trade unions.
He said: "While we can shut down this door and we can prevent the factory from running for a day, it's really the guys in there that have the real power."
Protester Oli said the group was not targeting yard workers with the action.
He added: "We're here to blame the managers who decide to produce and sell arms to Israel."
Campaigners blocked several entrances to the Govan shipyard
The Glasgow protest was part of co-ordinated action to blockade four arms factories around the UK.
The biggest was at Eaton Mission Systems in Wimborne near Bournemouth where around 600 people took part.
A BAE Systems spokesperson said: "We're horrified by the situation in Israel and Gaza and the devastating impact it's having on civilians in the region and we hope it can be resolved as soon as possible.
"We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment."
Earlier this week BAE systems announced that it was creating 300 new jobs in Glasgow for the construction of new warships.
The manufacturer already employs more than 3,200 workers at its Glasgow sites at Govan and Scotstoun.
Campaigners have staged a blockade at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow in opposition to its ties to Israel.
The protest at the entrances to the defence firm's site in Govan has been organised by a local group alongside Workers for a Free Palestine.
The campaign group said it had also blockaded defence factories in Bournemouth, Brighton and Lancashire.
It is urging BAE Systems to end ties with Israel and cease all weapons, defence and supplies trading.
Protesters with Palestinian flags also said they wanted the UK Government to back a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
BAE Systems said it respects "everyone's right to protest peacefully".
The activists blocked one entrance to the BAE site with a large banner stating "Stop Arming Israel".
Police Scotland officers were in attendance at the demonstration.
Protester Bint Sanna, who did not want to give her real name, told BBC Scotland News the group wanted to "put a stop to UK government support for Israel".
She added: "They are supporting them to commit genocide to kill thousands of innocent children, thousands of innocent women and men and destroying homes."
Another campaigner, Hex, said he travelled from Edinburgh to attend after a call to action from Palestinian trade unions.
He said: "While we can shut down this door and we can prevent the factory from running for a day, it's really the guys in there that have the real power."
Protester Oli said the group was not targeting yard workers with the action.
He added: "We're here to blame the managers who decide to produce and sell arms to Israel."
Campaigners blocked several entrances to the Govan shipyard
The Glasgow protest was part of co-ordinated action to blockade four arms factories around the UK.
The biggest was at Eaton Mission Systems in Wimborne near Bournemouth where around 600 people took part.
A BAE Systems spokesperson said: "We're horrified by the situation in Israel and Gaza and the devastating impact it's having on civilians in the region and we hope it can be resolved as soon as possible.
"We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment."
Earlier this week BAE systems announced that it was creating 300 new jobs in Glasgow for the construction of new warships.
The manufacturer already employs more than 3,200 workers at its Glasgow sites at Govan and Scotstoun.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:07 [Chanting]
00:23 We've blocked the entrance to a factory in Glasgow today.
00:28 Well, it's a protest against BAE Systems,
00:33 who produce arms and arms transport systems,
00:39 and they collaborate with Israel Defence Companies.
00:43 And we are Glasgow citizens who are concerned about what's going on in Palestine,
00:52 the occupation of Palestine and the genocide in Palestine.
00:55 And we're saying to BAE bosses, business is not as usual today,
01:01 because people are being killed in their thousands,
01:05 and things that you're doing or contributing,
01:08 things that you're making here are contributing to what's going on in Palestine.
01:13 We're basically here to say enough is enough.
01:17 We arrived here around 5.30.
01:19 There will be some other actions happening in the UK,
01:22 because BAE Systems has factories everywhere in the UK.
01:26 The aim is to disrupt business as usual.
01:29 That is the aim, to disrupt the day at BAE.
01:32 To give them a message that we're not happy with what they're producing here
01:37 and who they're collaborating with.
01:39 We are not here to blame workers.
01:43 We are here to say to managers, you should stop producing what you're producing.
01:48 You should stop collaborating with Israeli defence companies.
01:52 Your engineers, your workers, their skills could be used for peaceful purposes
01:58 rather than for producing killing machines.
02:01 I think we're very happy with what we've done today, yes.
02:04 BAE, they make some of the parts for the fighter jets that are being used in Israel.
02:10 The Palestinian trade unions over in Gaza and the rest of Palestine,
02:15 they put out this big call out for solidarity for folks all over the world.
02:22 So basically asking to disrupt the weapons that are being made
02:31 and then supplied to Israel that are then being used to kill their civilians.
02:35 So basically we came out here and we've shut down the factory for the day.
02:41 This is alongside actions all over the UK.
02:44 I think it's four places that's currently being occupied, including here.
02:48 Any time that we can have this shut down, any bullet that isn't being made,
02:52 that's somebody's life, you know.
02:54 Any part that isn't being supplied for these fighter jets, that's somebody's life maybe, you know.
02:59 This call out by the trade unions in Palestine, they were calling out two trade unions
03:05 and a lot of the guys that's in there, they're UNITE.
03:08 I'm a UNITE member myself and UNITE has condemned the violence in Palestine
03:16 and it's my hope that the workers in there will, because we've been talking to many of them,
03:24 it's my hope that many of them will try and organise to potentially make sure
03:30 that these weapons aren't ending up being sold and used for genocide.
03:33 A lot of folks I think are probably looking at, myself included, will see all this violence and stuff
03:39 that's happening over there online and you'll see all the pictures on the news and all this
03:44 and it's like, it makes you feel very powerless.
03:47 When you actually go out as one person, when you go out to something like this,
03:52 one person can make a lot of difference.
03:54 Throughout the country we've had other plants shut down and I think that sends a very strong message.
03:59 But more importantly, I think that causes material disruption.
04:04 Any disruption is potentially making things a wee bit harder for the Israeli military to harm people.
04:13 Through lots of wee disruptions, that's how you prevent this kind of warfare happening,
04:18 that's how you prevent the UK from being complicit in it, is lots of wee things and lots of shutdowns.
04:25 So I think today was very successful.
04:27 This sort of thing will continue to happen until the UK government,
04:31 until the Scottish government condemns the genocide that Israel's doing.
04:37 If I had a message for BAE, it would be stop manufacturing weapons
04:42 and manufacture something that's actually productive to the people of the country that you live in.
04:46 [Music]
04:52 [MUSIC]