‘Complicit in Gaza’s misery’: Pro-Palestine activists shut down UK arms factory

An arms factory in southeast England was occupied by activists on Tuesday morning in protest against its sales to Israel and Afghanistan. Protesters say the company is complicit in “Gaza’s misery,” where 2,137 Palestinians were killed last summer.

Instro Precision Ltd in Kent was besieged by activists at 5am on Tuesday, who occupied and shut down the factory.

Taking to the roof, campaigners unfurled a banner demanding Instro “stop arming Israel.” Four protesters remained on the building’s roof, while 10 stood at ground level.

The firm manufactures high-tech camera systems used in drones that have been deployed in Israel and Afghanistan. Located near the coastal town of Broadstairs, Kent, it is a subsidiary of Israeli arms company Elbit Systems.

Elbit’s drones have been deployed by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) to kill countless Palestinian civilians in Gaza, according to UK think tank Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT).

The think tank adds the camera technology is used in Israel’s “apartheid wall,” and in drones flown across Afghanistan. more

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