Running Time: 6mins 17secs
In their biggest action yet, Workers for a Free Palestine mobilised one thousand people to shut down four arms factories across the UK; BAE systems in Glasgow and Lancashire, L3 Harris in Brighton, and the one featured here – Eaton Mission Systems in Wimborne, near Bournemoouth, where over 500 people blocked off all three entrances.
They were joined by the rapidly growing Healthworkers for a Free Palestine group, who are also taking actions of their own; look out for the next one in the week starting December 18, when they’ll be targetting a site associated with Palentir – a US spy tech firm that works closely with Israel in the occupied territories, and has now been awarded a half a billion pound contract in the NHS. You can contact them to get involved via Instagram at @hw4fp.uk.
This is the third action in response to the Palestinian trade unions’ call for international trade unions to disrupt Israel’s genocide by refusing to handle Israeli goods or make Israeli weapons. And it contrasts sharply with the complete lack of action from our trade union leaders. With the number of international trade unions answering the call for solidarity growing all the time, including in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Auto Workers in the USA, the dockers in Barcelona and many more, it’s time for all UK trade unions, and for UNITE in particular – who represent a most of the workers in the relevant sectors – to step up.
Trade unions in Britain answered the call for solidarity to help end the apartheid system in South Africa in the 90s. Now it’s time to do the same to end apartheid in Israel. The only way this will happen is by increasing rank and file action and pressure. You can get involved and join future actions at workersforafreepalestine.com, and find out which companies are involved in arms production at workersinpalestine.org/who-arms-israel.