Officer bitten on arm in pro-Palestinian protests at arms factory
A police officer was bitten on the arm and four people were arrested as pro-Palestinian activists shut down a military technology factory in Glasgow.
Six officers were injured during the protests on Wednesday morning, during which Police Scotland said it was met with “an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance”.
Violence broke out after demonstrators at the Thales factory in Govan linked arms to block the entrance to the building.
Dozens of police officers arrived to break the line, unlinking protesters who had set up directly in front of the turnstiles at the site entrance.
Protesters, many masked and wearing keffiyehs, were seen being loaded into police vehicles and removed from the site.
Individuals refusing to move were restrained by officers and wrestled to the floor before being detained.
Smaller groups of activists attempted to prevent police vehicles leaving the premises by linking arms and encircling them.
As officers jostled to clear a way for the vehicles, the chain of protesters chanted: “Let them go” and pressed to keep the circle unbroken.
Protesters claim parts manufactured on the Govan site have been sold to the Israeli military.
During the demonstration, they unfurled banners bearing the messages: “Stop arming Israel!”, “This factory arms genocide” and “Workers for Palestine”.
Police Scotland confirmed that three men aged 18, 28 and 29, and a 21-year-old woman were arrested and charged during the demonstration.
Chief Inspector Derrick Johnston said: “We have a legal duty to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest as well as those affected by protest activity. However, officers were met with an unacceptable level of hostility and resistance today.
“One of our officers was bitten. Assaults are not part of the job and will not be tolerated, and we were fortunately able to arrest the individual responsible.
Thales, a French multinational company that designs and develops technology for the defence industry, insists that claims the site supplies the Israeli military are false.
Company says site does not supply Israel
A spokesman for Thales told The Telegraph that the factory in Glasgow produces specialist technology such as periscopes for use by the Royal Navy and British Army but is not involved in manufacturing drones.
Last week, arrests were made after similar protests at the U-TacS factory in Leicester, a joint venture between Thales and Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence contractor, which does manufacture drones.
However, Thales said the Watchkeeper X drones produced at the plant are used solely for reconnaissance by the British Army and that the Leicester site does not supply Israeli forces.
In an earlier statement, Thales said of the protests: “While those outside our site in Glasgow have the right to protest peacefully, we will work with authorities to prosecute anyone who threatens our employees, our property or our important work for the UK Armed Forces.”
