Activist blocakde the entrace to Edinburgh’s Leonardo arms factory, August 18, 2025
ACTIVISTS blockaded Edinburgh’s Leonardo arms factory for a second time in a month today, with two arrested by police under the Terrorism Act.
Shut Down Leonardo blocked its main entrance with a specially adapted van, with one activist locked-on inside and another on the roof, in a bid to bring production inside to a halt.
Other activists smashed jam jars filled with red and green paint in solidarity with the people of Gaza who, thanks to Leonardo’s supply of missile-guidance equipment as well as components for its F-35 jets and Apache attack helicopters, continue to be targeted by the Israeli armed forces.
The Italian-owned arms giant announced earlier this year its profits had boomed by 15.8 per cent to £1.3 billion in 2024-25, with order-book growth of 16.8 per cent.
That growth is driven by both the military build-up across Europe and Nato states over recent years, but also by sales to Israeli’s war machine as it works to reduce Gaza to rubble.
UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese has branded the firm the “main military contributor” to the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
A Shut Down Leonardo statement said: “With most world leaders either ignoring Israel’s genocide in Gaza, or actively involved in it, we cannot look aside while our Palestinian brothers and sisters are being exterminated.
“By shutting down Leonardo, we hope to disrupt the supply chain to the deadly F-35 war planes.”
The group launched its first action at the factory on July 15 when at least five van-loads of riot police were sent to the plant.
Counter-terrorism police arrested two activists and held them under the Terrorism Act, before they were eventually released on bail.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “At around 6.15am on Monday August 18 2025, we were called to a report of a protest outside a business premises in the Crewe Road North area of Edinburgh.
“Officers are in attendance and a 35-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man have been arrested in connection. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Leonardo was contacted for comment.
It’s hard to understand how minor divisions can come to dominate the process of building a challenge to the rule of the rich when the desperate need for a vehicle to fight poverty and despair is so abundantly clear, writes MATT KERR
