(JTA) – Pro-Palestinian activists in the United Kingdom stormed a factory owned by the Israeli defense firm Elbit on Monday, occupying and vandalizing the building.
Several members of the Palestine Action and Extinction Rebellion groups in a joint action blocked the entrance of the Elbit Ferranti factory in Waterhead, a town located about 262 miles northwest of London, they wrote on social media.
Two climbed onto a ledge, pouring blood-red paint down the front and spray-painting the words “Shut Elbit Down,” according to the online edition of The Oldham Times, a regional paper.
The activists holed up in the building. Police have been informed of the action but have not made arrests.
Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists for years have protested the presence of Elbit offices and factory in the United Kingdom, where the Israeli firm has large-scale contracts with the British government. Some of the protesters allege that Elbit provides arms for violations of international law by Israel and other armies.
Last month, the British Ministry of Defense signed a contract of more than $100 million with Elbit to supply military sensors.
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