Protestors who shut down a factory in Glasgow have accused Police Scotland of causing "fear and panic" with their tactics in breaking the picket, after several arrests were made.
On Wednesday morning a group of activists blockaded the entrance to the Thales plant in Govan, which manufactures components used in the Watchkeeper drone, as part of a partnership with Israeli defence company Elbit Systems.
On the day Palestinians commemorate the 'Nakba' or 'Catastrophe', the protestors called for a halt in the UK’s arms exports to Israel, an immediate ceasefire and an end to what they described as the genocide in Gaza.
The demonstration was attended by Police Scotland, who confirmed "several arrests" had been made.
However, the force has been accused of a disproportionate response to a peaceful protest.
One told The Herald: "Police broke up one of the pickets and made arrests. The police should be there to maintain public order but what they did was incite fear and panic.
"What we went through today, while upsetting and unnecessary, was nothing compared to what people in Gaza have been facing every day for over seven months, and the unquantifiable suffering of Palestinians under occupation for 75 years. Stop the chain of killing: Free Palestine."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 5.05am on Wednesday, 15 May, 2024 police were called to a report of a demonstration within the grounds of a business premises on Linthouse Road, Govan, Glasgow.
"Officers are in attendance and a number of arrests have been made."
Police said that three men aged 18, 28 and 29, and a 21-year-old woman were arrested and charged during the demonstration.
Six officers were injured, including one who sustained a bite to the arm.
Two officers attended the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, one of whom was discharged after treatment while the other remains there for further assessment, police said.
Chief Inspector Derrick Johnston said: "When policing any protest our priorities are to ensure the safety of protestors, 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".
Explaining the reason for the action, a protestor said: "We came here today to shut down the site and ensure no work is done today. This is because Thales is directly involved in producing the Watchkeeper drone, developed with Israeli arms company Elbit Systems and based on the Hermes 450 UAV, an armed drone that is used to kill Palestinian men, women, and children.
"Through this contract, Thales profits from Israel's genocidal campaign in Palestine. During a court case in 2014, Thales admitted that parts manufactured on this site were sold to the Israeli Defence Forces and 'battle tested' against Palestinians living under occupation and siege, as well as civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, and British maritime borders."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel