PALESTINE protests continue to sweep Britain with occupations at five universities, a camp outside the headquarters of an Israeli-owned arms firm and over 2,000 Barclays bank customers closing their accounts.

Actions will continue nationwide at the weekend and show no signs of diminishing more than five months after Israel launched its murderous onslaught against the people of Gaza where the death toll now stands at more than 32,000.

Students are staging occupations at the Universities of Manchester and Leeds, Goldsmiths University in London, University College London and the University of Bristol.

A Bristol occupier said: “UK universities are key actors in the development of weapons and priming students to become future warmongers through their constant advertising of employment ‘opportunities’ in arms companies.”

Today, which is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 1,000 Barclays customers shut their accounts in protest at the bank’s financing of arms companies supplying weapons for Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians, said the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

PSC said the action took the number of closed accounts to 2,500.

Palestine Action’s camp in Bristol is the latest in a series of actions by Palestine Action to have arms firm Elbit evicted from its site known as Aztec West 600, owned by Somerset Council.

The group said that after requests to evict Elbit were dismissed by councillors, activists covered Somerset County Hall in red paint and sprayed painted messages including “Elbit out,” “Evict Elbit” and “Blood on your hands.”

Protests tomorrow will include a car convoy in Kent in support of Palestine.

Donal Lennon of Thanet4Palestine said: “We shall link the three major towns on the Isle of Thanet in one unified action.

“As well as expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine the convoy aims to protest at the British government’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.

“We will be raising awareness, registering our protest and bringing a splash of colour to our beautiful towns.”

Stop the War vice-chairman Chris Nineham said: “We must keep taking action to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire and for the UK government to end its complicity in Israel’s attacks including by stopping the arms trade with Israel.

“While politicians try to brand those protesting for peace as extremists, we are in no doubt who the real extremists are.”