by Bethany Rielly

ACTIVISTS successfully evaded “round-the-clock” security to break into and occupy an Israeli arms factory in Oldham this morning.

The protest by direct action group Palestine Action comes days after Israel renewed air strikes against the Gaza strip, the first since a ceasefire was agreed less than a month ago.

Three activists scaled the Elbit Ferranti factory at around 6.30am after breaking into the site and causing damage inside. Protesters also covered the building in red paint. 

Palestine Action said that police and security have been stationed outside the factory to offer “round-the-clock protection” since Israel’s 11-day bombardment of Gaza in May. 

But activists managed to evade heavy security to occupy the site in their bid to shut down arms production, the group added. 

One of the protesters said that he joined the action “to try and do my part to stop the genocide in Palestine.”

The Morning Star understands that officers arrested all three activists later that morning on charges of burglary and criminal damage. 

Crowds of supporters gathered outside the factory to show support and protest against the production of arms in their town. 

The site is owned by Israel’s largest private arms company, Elbit Systems, which manufactures drones used by the Israeli army in Gaza. 

The action is the latest in a series of protests launched by the group, with the most recent targeting cladding firm Arconic on the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster last week. 

It also comes after Israel launched new air strikes on Gaza last week, and Israeli far-right and settler groups marched through occupied East Jerusalem, chanting “death to Arabs.” 

A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “This past week has seen the shelling of Gaza resume. Previous bombing operations against Gaza have been used as an opportunity for Elbit and other arms manufacturers to field-test their weapons on Palestinians. 

“It’s up to us to halt the production of these weapons which are tested on Palestinians and then exported to repressive regimes globally.”

More protests are also planned this weekend in the capital to highlight how Israeli apartheid “remains in full force” regardless of the country’s recent change in leadership. 

Palestine Solidarity Campaign is set to march in the Palestine bloc of the People’s Assembly’s national demonstration in London on Saturday, and is also lobbying MPs on Palestine this Thursday.