AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Four British arms factories supplying components for the F-35 stealth fighter jets used by Israel to bomb Gaza have been temporarily shut down by hundreds of workers and demonstrators protesting against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Footage posted online on Thursday showed activists blocking the entrances into the factories.
The factories are: Eaton Mission Systems in Bournemouth, BAE Systems at Samlesbury Aerodrome in Lancashire, L3Harris factory in Brighton, and the BAE Systems Govan site in Glasgow.
L3-Harris’ systems are integral to several US combat aircraft including the F-22, F/A-18 and F-35. It also manufactures bomb-release mechanisms for the F-35 combat aircraft and Reaper drone, both of which are deployed by Israel in Gaza.
A trade unionist from the group Workers for a Free Palestine, which helped organize Thursday’s action, said it was a necessary step to support the Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
“The fighter jets these factories help to produce are being used to imprison the people of Gaza in a death trap. They are ordered to evacuate when they have nowhere safe to go, while our government still refuses to back a ceasefire,” said a trade union worker. “Workers all over Britain are rising up for Palestine, saying we will not allow arms used in a genocide to be supplied in our name and funded by our taxes.”
The F-35 is built by Lockheed Martin in the United States, with the help of international partners, including British factories, which supply the components.
Earlier this year, Israel placed an additional order of 25 F-35 aircraft in a deal worth $3 billion. With that order, Israel will be in possession of 75 F-35 warplanes.
Workers in other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, France and Germany, held similar demonstrations.
Earlier this week, Dutch lawyers petitioned a court to demand the Netherlands’ government stop exporting F-35 components that could be used by Israel.
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