ACTIVISTS across Britain defied government threats to curb the right to protest today and united at factories, universities and councils to demand an end to support for the Israeli assault on Gaza.

More than 600 workers across the trade union movement, including Unite, Unison, GMB, the NEU, the BMA, UCU, Bectu and BFAWU, descended on arms factories in both Cheltenham and Edinburgh today, successfully shutting down war production.

The GE Aviation site in Cheltenham and Leonardo UK in Edinburgh were targeted for their production of essential components for F-35 fighter jets, the Israeli military’s weapon of choice in its ongoing bombardment and slaughter of the civilian population in Gaza.

Standing together as “Workers for a Free Palestine,” campaigners blockaded the factories and repeated calls for genuine international efforts to deliver an immediate and permanent ceasefire before Israel embarked on its long-dreaded and long-planned attack on Rafah.

Since October 7, nine Israeli military aircraft have used bases in Britain, almost 50 RAF planes have been sent to Israel, and British arms manufacturers continue to supply arms to the occupiers of Palestine, despite the British government’s international obligations to prevent genocide.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the Commons today that his government “continue to call for Israel to respect international humanitarian law and for civilians to be protected.

“Too many civilians have been killed and we want to see Israel limit its operations to military targets,” he added.

“These are points that both I and the Foreign Secretary have repeatedly made to Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

But campaigners argue that the words of Mr Sunak and his diplomats do little to end Britain’s complicity in the attacks unless it follows the lead of Canada and immediately bans the supply and sale of arms to the forces illegally occupying Palestine. 

On the blockade in Cheltenham, housing support worker Zad said: “Israel is on the brink of invading the very area they told the people of Gaza it was safe for them to flee to.

“Such atrocities could not take place without the political and military support of governments like Britain.

“The Canadian government has just shown how easy it is to end that complicity.”

Their Edinburgh comrade, Cam added: “We don’t blame the workers at these sites.

“We blame the bosses who decide to sell these components to Israel.

“As Israel threatens to invade Rafah, predicted to cause an unthinkably brutal bloodbath, we couldn’t stand by silently while a factory down the road resources that massacre.

“We had to act.” 

As the factory in Edinburgh fell silent, Time to Divest Lothian rallied on the other side of the city to call for the public-sector Lothian Pension Fund to divest from its £160 million investments in companies such as Lockheed Martin and Caterpillar, whose Israeli contracts profit from the bombing and bulldozing of Palestinian communities respectively.

Elsewhere, campuses across the country have seen a wave of occupations, from Goldsmiths and University College in London to Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester universities, as students made similar calls for ties between the institutions and companies — such as BAe — profiting from the Israeli military occupation of Palestine to be severed immediately.

The more than 50 students occupying the Simon Building at the University of Manchester not only called for an end to those financial relations, but for links to be cut with both The Hebrew University of Jerusalem — built on occupied territory — and Tel Aviv University, where the Dahiya Doctrine advocating the military targeting of Palestinian civilian targets was developed.

Trade unionist and Workers for a Free Palestine organiser Laura said: “Polling shows the majority of Brits support a ceasefire and one million people have marched for that cause.

“Both the Conservatives and the Labour Party have refused to listen and now, in response to the strength of solidarity with Palestine among the British public, the government is seeking to instead suppress this and crack down on our rights to protest under the guise of ‘anti-extremism.’

“It’s ludicrous to suggest the extremists are those of us who want to stop genocide, rather than the politicians and companies which arm it.

“We will not be cowed by such threats. Today’s arms factory shutdowns are a defiant response to these intimidation tactics during a month of direct action answering the call of Palestinian trade unions on workers around the world to disrupt Israel’s murderous war machine.”