PALESTINIAN rights supporters in Manchester shut down a major HSBC bank branch on Saturday in protest against the firm’s involvement in illegal Israeli settlements.

HSBC has financial links to companies such as Caterpillar, which supplies militarised bulldozers used in demolishing Palestinian communities to make way for Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Protesters also held paid tribute a pro-Palestine activist who was expelled from the Labour Party for alleged “anti-semitism” and found dead a week after the expulsion.

The cause of the death of Manchester activist Pauline Hammerton, who was in her seventies, has yet to be established, but friends said she is believed to have died from natural causes.

She was expelled from the Labour Party on February 4 in relation to her activities with Manchester Palestine Action group and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). She was found dead on February 11.

In her last online message before her death, she said: “I’ve been expelled from the Labour Party for retweeting tweets critical of Israel and supportive of Palestinians, and reposting similar Facebook quotes.

“I can’t appeal for five years, by which time I’ll probably be dead. I understand I’m far from being the only leftie the party has got rid of.”

Adie Mormech of Manchester Palestine Action said: “As we remembered the victims of Israel’s crimes, we also paid tribute to our own warrior Pauline Hammerton, who stood with us so many times with unflinching support for whoever was facing injustice, an inspiration to everyone around her.”